This is my very first blog! After a bit of research I have discovered that most people tend to start their series of blogs by telling their audience a bit about themselves, so I thought this might be a good place to start before I delve into all the good stuff!

My name is Chloe, I am 34 years old and I live in Gloucester with my husband Ben and our two crazy Shar-Pei dogs – Skibba and Lola. We have been married for nearly 8 years and bought our first house together back in 2006.

I have a real interest in fashion in general, particularly when striking colours and unusual designs are used. Over the past few years this interest in fashion has spilled over into a love for interior design, and I often find myself researching websites such as Houzz and Pinterest for new ideas and inspiration. I also love nosing through Rightmove at some of the really expensive houses way out of my range of affordability, as they can be filled with photos of amazing designs, colour schemes, storage solutions and life hacks.

I absolutely adore shoes and have a very large collection which, unfortunately for the bank balance, only continues to grow with each passing month! My favourite designers are Christian Louboutin, Charlotte Olympia and Sophia Webster but also love the unusual styles you can find on the high street in shops like River Island, Kurt Geiger and Steve Madden.

Another of my big interests is travel. I have been fortunate enough to have travelled to some incredible places over the past ten years or so. It reminds me what a big wide world we live in and just how different everyday life can be in different places across the globe. I never just book a trip somewhere without giving it any further thought, I always aim to learn as much as possible about the country I am visiting both before I go and whilst I am out there – its history, its culture, its food and its people.

Out of my love for travel has grown my love for photography. I am a very, very long way from being a photographer and catching the perfect moment but I love looking at other people’s work, and because of this my favourite social media site by far is Instagram. It is such a brilliant way to quickly capture those special moments and for individuals to get creative. One of my aims this year is to upload more of my photos from some of the amazing places I have visited onto my Instagram account.

It’s not really something which could be described as a hobby but I have a real love for food! I am by no means a food critic and I am extremely picky when it comes to certain foods but I love cooking and baking and trying new foods especially those of the sweet variety! I am visiting London with my Mum and sister in a couple of months and after looking at the first draft of our itinerary, we realised that the majority of places we are due to visit centre around food! Street stalls, bakeries, food halls, afternoon tea’s, takeaway’s and 3-course meals – we have literally got it all covered! Don’t get me wrong, I am not one to take a photograph of every meal I eat and then post it on social media, but I am hoping we will come across some really unusual treats during our visit!

My hobbies include going to the gym (although this has been very forced during the cold dark winter months!) and going to the cinema. Going to the cinema has always been my favourite form of escapism. After watching a film where a main character has overcome so much in order to achieve the impossible, suddenly your worries seem far more trivial than you had first imagined, and anything now seems possible. I am happy to watch almost any kind of film, but do enjoy thrillers and murder mysteries. There’s something amazing about getting to the end of a film and gasping out loud at the final twist and saying to yourself “I didn’t see that coming!”

Many of my family and friends know me as a bit of a control freak! I’m doing my best to be better about it and teach myself to let go of things that I really have no influence or control over, but I feel safe and secure in a routine and thrive on planning ahead and being organised, both in everyday life and months ahead on large events or projects.

I love reading but don’t have the chance to do anywhere near as much as I would like to. I have maybe 100 books lined up on my Kobo device to read at some point, but god only knows when I will have the chance to get round to reading them all. My favourite books are the Harry Potter books but, as with my film choices, I am happy to read almost anything and give it a chance!

My favourite TV programme by far is Game of Thrones. As I sit here typing I really can’t think of another TV programme I would even class as second on my list. Perhaps Sons of Anarchy or Peaky Blinders I would class as my next favourites. I have had a lot of people recommend Vikings and The Walking Dead so will aim to get round to watching those too when I get the opportunity!

And finally, saving the very best until last, the most important part of my life always will be my family and friends. I am lucky enough to have such an AMAZING set of family members and friends who support me, encourage me and allow me to grow. Any time there is an opportunity to celebrate or spend time with them, I will do my utmost to make it the best occasion possible.

This pathological people pleaser part of my personality (as my little sister refers to it!) results in many fun-filled adventures and surprise themed parties and events – any excuse to have something to look forward to and organise, and best of all, make someone smile! I look forward to ALL events with real enthusiasm – Pancake Day, Valentines Day, Easter, Summer BBQ’s, Halloween and my absolute favourite, Christmas! I have encountered my fair share of people who think these event celebrations are over the top and childish, but once they have experienced (or been subjected to!) such an event, believe me they are the first people to ask about the next one!

I hope this has given you a relatively good idea of who I am and what you might be able to expect from any upcoming blogs of mine – I hope as far as first blogs go I didn’t miss the mark by too much!!

CocoChlo xx