I think I pretty much say this every month, but I can't believe September is over already! September always has a Back to School feel about it, all these years later. There's a feel of change in the air as we move into autumn that I quite like, even though I always miss the summer!

Here are a few highlights from September:

Days Out

Tim and I had a lovely couple of days out - one at Kew Gardens at the beginning of the month, and another at Hampton Court towards the end. Kew looked beautiful and I loved the treetop walkway and the beautiful Sackler Crossing. I'll have to go back again to see all the bits I missed (it's such a vast place!), and see how it changes in the different seasons. Hampton Court was fab too - I really liked the free audio guides that let you explore how you wanted, but provided plenty of information. 

JayneHeather_KewGardens_London_1558 JayneHeather_KewGardens_London_1565 JayneHeather_KewGardens_London_1573 JayneHeather_KewGardens_London_1578 JayneHeather_KewGardens_London_1579

Lovely things

This month I heard about My Little Paris - a French blog with articles on hidden gems in Paris, and the Parisian lifestyle. They also have a monthly subscription box 'My Little Box', which was extended to the UK in September. Now you all know I have a huge love for Paris, and cosmetics, so I thought I'd treat myself and try it out! I've heard of Beauty Boxes in the past - a monthly delivery of high-end beauty products so you get to try things you wouldn't normally buy, and I've been tempted but always thought I'd end up being sent loads of things I didn't really use. My Little Box seemed a bit different because although there are some beauty products there are also lifestyle bits. I received my September box and was really impressed with it - there were some lovely beauty products, a nice book, some fun stickers and a tablet case, and it was all beautifully put together! 

My Little BoxDetail of September 2014's 'My Little Box'

My Little BoxDetail of September 2014's 'My Little Box'

I also made use of one of my lovely birthday presents this month, some mini milk bottles, which I popped some purple stocks into - how cute are they? They'd make lovely decorations at a party/wedding I think:

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Commercial Photography

On the commercial side I had some lovely jobs including photographing the new exhibition at Harrow Museum and some portraits with a local business woman, which I'll be blogging about on www.jaynelloyd.co.uk soon.

‘Our Harrow: A student’s perspective’‘Our Harrow: A student’s perspective’ exhibition at Headstone Manor Museum, part of the Piloting Participation Project with the Geffrye, Museum of the Home, September 2014.

(Not part of the shoot, but an interesting bit of topiary in the car park!)

(Not part of the shoot, but an interesting bit of topiary in the car park!)

Resolution Update

The recipe challenge continues, with lots more yummy recipes discovered this month. I think my favourite this time was probably Kouign Amann, which is a Breton pastry recipe which was the technical challenge on an episode of The Great British Bakeoff this month. It took a really long time as there was so much proving involved, but it was very satisfying to make and very tasty!

Homemade Kouign AmannHomemade Kouign Amann - a caramelised buttery Breton pastry, featured on the Great British Bakeoff in 2014 as technical challenge.

I picked up the 'learning' resolution again this month as I started trying to get my French back up and running again. I studied French to A-level and could understand a lot (even if my speaking wasn't all that confident). I lived in France for a while as a child so I have always wanted to learn it fully and have decided to give it another big push. I'm giving Duolingo a go and already feel like it's made a big improvement in my comprehension. 

The Weekly Montages have continued too, and I think this month's favourite is probably Sept 1-7:

How was your September? What have you got planned for October?