What a hectic week! So much so that The Lovely List has been delayed by a day, but I have blogging to blame (in a sense) as I attended my first blog meet up (!) on Saturday in Lincoln (more on that later in the week).

First off I'd like to introduce you to a new blog - The Frugal Cottage.  Nicola posts on frugal living and has tons of tips to use in your daily life to improve finances in a non-invasive way. My favourite post this week has got to be on how meal planning benefits your health and your wealth. Well worth checking out.

I always get tons of recipe inspiration from the blogs I read and really should get round to trying more out them out. This week I want to try spinach and feta pasties and caramelised onion and garlic fougasse. What about you?

Lovely happy lists here and here. Want to see my summer list?

Why we write is an interesting concept. Do we write because we feel the urge to express our ideas and opinions? To simply get things down onto paper (or screen)? Do we write in order to exist? Find out what Bee thinks here.

What have you been up to this weekend? What plans do you have for the week ahead?

P.S.

Want to see last week's lovely list? Have you seen my shopping list for summer?

I've been a little quiet on social media and on this blog over the past few days, but I've been so busy I've barely had time to think about posting, never mind actually write anything. The weekend has been lovely though; my sister got engaged yesterday (and it was her birthday too!) and today Mr CC and I actually managed to squeeze a bit of time for each other and go out for brunch.

I've also managed to steal snippets of moments to read a few posts online and here's what's been keeping me occupied...

You know when you see a recipe and think, 'there is absolutely no way I won't like this'? This is that recipe.

If you're fed up of cordial but still want something to do with elderflowers try this interesting mix.

I'm trying to read more. If you are too, but need some inspiration, check out this list or past book posts here.

And finally, if you needed any excuse to have a good giggle, check out these benefits of laughing.

P.S. I've been so busy I even neglected Floral Friday, so I hope you enjoy the lovely florals in this post instead!

Happy Sunday! How are you all this morning? Let's begin the first ever Lovely List with a bit of a pep talk, just in case you've had a bit of a rubbish week:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-gQLqv9f4o

...and if you still need some motivation this nifty flow-chart will set you right.

Luckily my week hasn't been too bad! I've had quite a lot on at work but have managed to keep the house pretty tidy (a monumental achievement) and catch up with friends. Today I'm hoping to get in the garden so I can take more lovely images like the ones here and here.

Love Paris as much as I do? Then you'll be lusting over these beautiful images.

It's early summer now, and that can only mean one thing: strawberries. Want to know how to make them last longer?

Creating an inspiring work space can sometimes be a challenge, but this pin-board is so easy to make that the job's half done already.

Finally the blog you really should be following this week (if you aren't already) is Made in Hunters - another lifestyle blog from the English countryside, and in particular this post on living in your own world. Emma's dog Grizzle is also extremely cute and features (happily) in lots of her images.

What have you loved this week?