Cherry Blossom & Blue Skies in London Town

‘I firmly believe in small gestures: pay for their coffee, hold the door for strangers, over tip, smile or try to be kind even when you don’t feel like it, pay compliments, chase the kid’s runaway ball down the sidewalk and throw it back to him, try to be larger than you are - particularly when it’s difficult. People do notice, people appreciate. Small gestures can be an effort, or actually go against our grain, but the irony is that almost every time you make them, you feel better about yourself. For a moment life suddenly feels lighter, a bit more Gene Kelly dancing in the rain.’

- Jonathan Carroll

30 Things Before I’m 30

1. Live in London

2. Vist New York

3. Spend a weekend in Italy

4. TRAVEL Bali, Indonesia, China, Morocco, New Zealand

5. Holiday in Ibiza

6. Start my own business!

7. Go sky diving

8. Make money from my blog £££

9. Live in the centre of Bristol

10. Have my own exhibition

11. Learn another language fluently

12. Grown my hair past my boobs

13. Make a zine

14. Own my own house

15. Get married (& never get divorced)

16. Start a family ♥

17. Make a darkroom in our house

18. Find my niche

19. Become a cocktail connoisseur

20. Go skiing

21. Visit Auschwitz & Berlin

22. Have tea at the Ritz

23. Go sailing / on a cruise / holiday on a narrow boat

24. Create my perfect capsule wardrobe

25. Give up something for lent

26. Fly in a hot air balloon

27. Gamble in Las Vegas

28. Go inter-railing

29. Go on a road trip

30. Stop caring what people think

You may have noticed a new page has appeared at the top of Charlotte’s Web. My housemate’s (Katie and Chloe) and I decided to make a list of things we wanted to achieve by the time we are thirty, we have to tick three things off a year (we are all 20) if we have any hope of completing it.  For 2013 I think number 12. Grow my hair past my boobs, 13. Make a zine, 17. Make a darkroom in our house and 29. Go on a road trip are the most likely to happen. 

Friday I’m in Love: Fresh Flowers & Charity Shop Bargains

Charity shop finds ♥

Tulips ♥ Home made cakes

Patterns ♥

Working at my mothers with a little help ♥ Temporary office space

A few things:
Made in Chelsea is back! ♥ My new brogues ♥ Spending the weekend with my mum and baby sister ♥ Peppermint tea ♥ Day trips to the seaside ♥ Dinner and catch ups with old friends ♥ Having an empty inbox ♥ Fresh flowers ♥ Ikea ♥ Wooden furniture ♥ Having a good nights sleep ♥ Lavender ♥ The Charlie Froud Foundation art exhibition it’s tomorrow if anyone is coming! ♥ Friends that hundred percent get you ♥ Revenge, this programme is addictive ♥ Lissette Loves - new favourite blog ♥ The Simpsons Tapped Out, who else is a fan or is it just me? ♥ The Syndicate ♥ Baths in the morning ♥ IndieJane Photography ♥ Bristol ♥ Date nights ♥ When you stop letting little things annoy you and you feel so much happier for it ♥

'Pour A Little Salt, We Were Never Here'

10 Tips to Beat Insomnia & Get A Better Nights Sleep

First image by me, Second image by Kate

I think the majority of people at some point in their lives will struggle with sleep, whether it is not enough, too much or interrupted and disrupted sleep. At the moment I have been struggling to fall and stay asleep as well as waking up much earlier than I should be. The other night I thought getting an early night might help but actually this meant I would wake up at 5.30. I have found a few things which have really helped me so thought I might share as I know how horrible it is to struggle sleeping. I would love to know if anyone else has any other tips or words of wisdom they could share?

1. Keep regular hours. Going to bed and getting up at roughly the same time every day will programme your body to sleep better. Choose a time when you are most likely to feel sleepy. Always getting up at the same time will make a difference - even at the weekend. It might seem like you need a lie in to make up for the sleep you haven’t got, but to break a cycle of sleeping problems you need to train your body into a good sleeping pattern.

2. Create a restful sleeping environment. Your bedroom should be kept for rest and sleep. Keep it as quiet and dark as possible. It should be neither too hot nor too cold. Temperature, lighting and noise should be controlled so that the bedroom environment helps you to fall (and stay) asleep. Make your bedroom a shrine! 

3. Make sure that your bed is comfortable. It is difficult to get restful sleep on a mattress that is too soft or too hard, or a bed that is too small or old. Invest in a decent bed, you spend a third of your life in it! If you have a pet that sleeps in the room with you, consider moving it somewhere else if it often makes noise in the night. 

4. Exercise regularly. Moderate exercise on a regular basis, such as swimming or walking, can help to relieve some of the tension built up over the day. But don't do vigorous exercise too close to bedtime as it may keep you awake.

5. Less caffeine. Cut down on stimulants such as caffeine in tea or coffee, especially in the evening. They interfere with the process of falling asleep, and they prevent deep sleep. The effects of caffeine can last a long time (up to 24 hours) so the chances of it affecting sleep are significant. Have a warm, milky drink or herbal tea instead. If you are having trouble cutting out caffeine, set yourself a time in the day past which you don’t have it.

6. Don’t over-indulge. Too much food or alcohol, especially late at night, can interrupt your sleep patterns. Alcohol may help you to fall asleep initially, but it will disrupt your sleep later on in the night.  

7. Cut out technology. Try and reduce your laptop and phone use an hour before bedtime. Getting rid of televisions in bedrooms also reduce distractions and make sleep more important than entertainment. 

8. Try to relax before going to bed. Have a warm lavender bath, listen to quiet music or do some gentle yoga to relax the mind and body. Your doctor may be able to recommend a helpful relaxation CD. 

9. Write away your worries. Deal with worries or a heavy workload by making lists of things to be tackled the next day. If you tend to lie in bed thinking about tomorrow's tasks, set aside time before bedtime to review the day and make plans for the next day. The goal is to avoid doing these things when you're in bed, trying to sleep.

10. Don't worry in bed. If you can’t sleep, don’t lie there worrying about it. Get up and do something you find relaxing until you feel sleepy again, then return to bed.

Herbal treatments that may help:
- Lavender sprays (this is also interesting!) 
- Kalms One-A-Night Tablets
- Chamomile tea 

Sleeping Disorders - The Signs!

- Difficulty falling asleep. Do you lie in bed for long periods unable to drop off?

- Light or restless sleeping. Are you easily disturbed from sleep, do you feel like you toss and turn all night?

- Waking often. Do you repeatedly wake, without really knowing why?

- Lying awake. Do you wake up and then lie fretting about problems in the day just gone or day ahead?

- Waking early. Do you wake up long before you need to and find yourself unable to get back to sleep?

Sources:
One, Two and Three.