CURRENTLY LOVING | JANUARY 2018

It’s flatlay time here on Splodz Blogz, and I have a lovely one for you this month, featuring ten of my favourite things of the moment. I put these together each month for two reasons. The first is to give me an opportunity to look at the things I have and be consciously grateful for them. And the second is to maybe inspire you if you’re looking for gift ideas for someone you love (or maybe even yourself).

Here’s this month’s offering…

Currently Loving | January 2018

01.  The Berghaus Extrem Micro Down Jacket is one of those things that I knew was going to be a favourite as soon as it arrived. I mean, it’s so warm and cosy, very comfortable, has a wonderfully flattering shape, and is not in the slightest bit bulky or cumbersome. A technical jacket for sure, designed for hiking and climbing where regulating temperature is important, but also one that doesn’t look out of place even if I’m going to work or off out somewhere. There will be a review proper of it here once I’ve had it a few weeks, but it has already earned its place in my currently loving list.

02.  One of my favourite things about starting a new year is… starting a new diary. I love the Moleskine weekly notebooks as they have the days on one side and a notes page on the other. This year I received the rather apt special edition Alice in Wonderland edition featuring the White Rabbit (Amazon link here), one of my all-time favourite stories. I don’t actually use the diary to organise my day to day life, I have a phone for that, but rather use it to plan out my blog content and my weekly to do lists, something that works well for me.

03.  Hooray for cosy jumpers! This gorgeous Isla Pattern Jumper from FatFace is my current favourite because it’s basically everything a woolly sweater should be; warm, cosy, looks great, fits well. What more do I need to tell you?! Quick though… it’s gone into the sale and there aren’t many left!

04.  When I hike proper I generally wear two pairs of socks; a pair of sock liners and a pair of hikers over the top. My go-to liners are the Coolmax Sock Liner from Bridgedale, but they recently sent me a pair of their Thermal Liners to try out. I hiked in them in the sleet and mud on Saturday and they are superb. They are unisex, unlike most of Bridgedale’s offering (they were the first sock company to do female specific socks, and they’re very good at it), but they fit me well and did an excellent job of keeping my feet warm for the day.

05.  I have been quite vocal about how I think my Merrell Chameleon Shift hiking boots are the best boots I’ve ever owned, and have hiked hundreds (and hundreds, and probably hundreds more) of miles in them over the last few years, including the West Highland Way last autumn. Well you can’t get them anymore, but it’s okay, Merrell have replaced them with this new Chameleon 7 range. I’ve had the Gore-Tex Mids for about a month now and have been breaking them (not so) gently. I’ll just say this for now, they are a great pair of boots. Whether they will live up to the love I have for my Shifts or not I don’t know yet, but they are certainly keeping my feet happy on the trail at the moment.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BeNXheOhcY6/

06.  It wouldn’t be a Currently Loving without a bit of food… and this month I have mostly been eating, well, everything. We have had Christmas after all! I’m actually including something rather humble and simple here, the Jacobs Cream Cracker. You know, the biscuits you put with cheese and chutney. Yea, crackers. I love them, can’t get enough of them. My favourite toppings? Brie and grape, soft cheese and cucumber, mature Cheddar and beetroot, or just butter – you can’t beat a cracker with butter served with a cup of tea. I’m such a simple person.

07.  I love a good guidebook, don’t you? These two were Christmas gifts and they are absolutely spot on. Pheobe Smith, editor of Wunderlust magazine and fellow GetOutside Champion, has put together this great book of Britain’s Best Small Hills. I love that they are all short hikes, all doable in one day, making some great views accessible to people like me who might only have a Saturday or random Tuesday to spare. Brilliant. The other book is a lovely little selection of 50 Walks in the Cotswolds from AA Walks, which will come in very handy as I explore a lot more of that part of the UK this summer. Both are excellent resources to help me to decide where to go walking.

08.  I bought my Spiderpodium by Breffo a good few years ago now after seeing it on the Gadget Show and at Gadget Show Live. Since then it’s had so much use, mainly to prop up my iPad when I’m either writing or watching random YouTube videos, but it’s also great for when I’m following recipes or doing research, or any time I want to use my iPad without holding it. The legs move to pretty much any position, it can sit up at any angle, and it can grip hold of my iPad so I don’t have to worry about it slipping off or falling over. It’s a great little gadget accessory and I’d highly recommend it, I wouldn’t be without mine now. Find it on the Breffo website, or I bought mine from Mobile Fun.

09.  Intrepid Magazine is a new premium style magazine from the hand of Emily Woodhouse, designed as a “female-first” adventure and outdoors magazine. As a non-girly outdoorsy woman I am one of those people a little fed up of how the main-stream media still talks about the outdoors as if it is exclusively for a) men (generally with beards) or b) female models. I received a subscription for Christmas, and think the first issue is just brilliant, inspiring me and helping me learn too. If you’re anything like me, definitely check out Intrepid, it’s a great read. Get yours here and find out what else I’m reading here.

10.  I’m a big lover of the bubble bath, it is one of my favourite ways to relax after a day out, especially if I’ve been outdoors enjoying muddy footpaths. And you know I am a fan of Lush naked bathroom products; solid bars that come without packaging. I received two Lush bubble bars for Christmas, the Candy Mountain (a Christmas special, no longer available) and Milky Bath, and they are just gorgeous. You only need to crumble a little bit under running water to create a luscious bubble filled bath, making them much more cost effective than bath bombs, and they smell divine.

What are you currently loving this month? What do you think of my choices? Tell me in the comments below.

Want to see all my Currently Loving posts? This link should help.