Deer print gift guide | Christmas 2026

The streets are saying deer print is the new leopard print - and who knows if that's right, but it is all over the shops right now! It's very cute and feels like quite a dainty pattern, and if someone you know has embraced the deer print trend in 2026 then I've got some fantastic Christmas gift ideas for you...

BURGA Deer Print Notebook - I love a fresh notebook for a fresh new year, and this one is so cute. They have matching phone/airpod cases, phone ring holders and powerbanks too!

Dunelm Deer Print Fabric Floor Lamp - this is giving boujie vibes and would be perfect to add something a bit extra to a more neutral home space!

M&S Faux Deer Print Hoop Earrings - these are not just earrings, they're M&S earrings... and they're adorable, let's face it.

Primark Scene Deer Print Faux Fur Jacket - Primark's new 'Scene' range has some amazing, really on-trend pieces and this is one of the stars of the show! So stunning.

Next Deer Print Mule Slippers - you can't beat new slippers for Christmas and these deer print ones are just gorgeous.

US Polo Assn Tan Bambi Tyrella Hobo Bag - you cannnnot beat T K Maxx for nice bags and this one is no exception, I absolutely love it! 

OHS Deer Print Bedding Set - I absolutely love OHS if you're shopping for homeware gifts on a budget, and their bedding is great quality too.

River Island Brown Deer Print Cap - I'm not a hat person at all, but this deer print cap is just lush!

This is just a small selection of the best deer print gifts and pieces available for Christmas 2026, if you are shopping for someone who has fallen in love with this trend.

F1 fan gift guide | Christmas 2026

I usually put together a few gift guides in the lead up to Christmas, and this year is no exception. I'm kicking off the mini series with Christmas gifts for F1 fans that I've spotted online or in shops this year - perfect presents for Formula One fans, so you can get your Christmas shopping done and dusted before the 2026 series wraps up...

Christmas gifts for F1 fans on Amazon

If you're looking for easily accessible Christmas gifts for F1 fans, Amazon has plenty to choose from - especially if you've left it to the last minute...

The Formula One Puzzle Book - ideal to pass the time between FP1, FP2 and FP3...

F1 x KitKat tin - you can also get this in Home Bargains, FYI, but it's been selling out like crazy!

Iconic driver helmets insulated cup - ideal for on the go, and a really cool design.

F1 Lego car - warning, may cause frustration...

Race car socks - the ideal stocking filler for F1 fans.

F1 beer mats - you get 22 designs, very cool for someone who watches the races from their very own bar...

Silver race car keyring - another brilliant stocking filler for F1 fans.

F1 Monopoly - a perfect gift for F1 fans who also LOVE a games night!

F1 UNO - another F1 themed game, but one you can travel (to races or otherwise...) with.

Christmas gifts for F1 Fans on Etsy

I love Etsy for really unique, often handmade and super special Christmas gifts, and there's plenty of presents for F1 fans to choose from here too. Make sure you double check the delivery times!

"Smells like I'm watching Formula One again" candle - subtle but a lovely gift for F1 fans.

Green race track socks - another perfect stocking filler gift. These are actually made from bamboo, which means they'll be incredibly soft.

"It's lights out and away we go" embroidered sweatshirt - choose their favourite colour for a really nice touch!

F1 car 3D printed earrings - Etsy sellers are so creative, these are adorable.

F1 track drink & snack tray - what more could you want for a race weekend at home?!

Lights out print - this is such a classy gift for F1 fans to display at home.

"Life is hard, make it harder by supporting Oscar Piastri" t-shirt - other drivers are available... I would love this sort of fun present for F1 fans personally.

Race track ring lamp - this would be particularly special if you buy a track that they've been to!

F1 driver hair bow - sorry this is just too cute, especially if you have little ones who are getting into F1.

Pull & Bear's Disney x F1 collection

Oh I could NOT post this F1 fan Christmas gift guide without sharing Pull & Bear's Disney x F1 merch collection, which is just so fun and whimsical while also being on the stylish side. I got a sweatshirt from the first drop and I'm already eyeing up what I want from this one... there's LOADS to choose from, and it's split into men & women but I think a lot of the pieces are quite unisex.

"Life in the fast lane" sweatshirt - comfy, cute and casual. There's matching joggers too!

Pink Disney x F1 hoodie - because who doesn't love a bit of pink...

Disney x F1 bomber jacket - this is SO cool, honestly.

Pink F1 x Mickey socks - the most gorgeous girly stocking filler for F1 fans this year.

Disney x F1 Mickey striped polo shirt - this with a pair of jeans to watch the race in the pub? Yes please. The print is on the back, so it's more subtle, too.

White Disney x F1 Mickey t-shirt - I'm honestly obsessed.

Black long sleeved top - definitely not subtle but very fun!

"Live to race" knit polo shirt - I feel this is definitely one of the more unisex options and I personally love it.

Disney x F1 Mickey hooded sweatshirt - see what I mean about there being so many cool pieces in this drop?

Mickey Racing Team bowling bag - the perfect race weekend day bag if you ask me...

White Disney x F1 Mickey t-shirt - a really cute and casual option.

These are all the best Christmas gifts for F1 fans I've found so far while I've been scouring the internet, but I'll be sure to update this post if I stumble upon anything else...

Bush Hotel, Farnham | Review

There's nothing I love more than a little weekend away, and my wife & I recently visited Farnham in Surrey to celebrate our first wedding anniversary - side note, that year has flown by! We really enjoyed our time in Farnham, and we stayed at the gorgeous Farnham Bush Hotel. You can find all of our thoughts below...

I was invited to the Farnham Bush in exchange for an honest review.

Farnham Bush - location

We travelled to Farnham by train, as we don't drive; the hotel is around a 10 minute walk from the train station, which was really straightforward, and it's very centrally located in terms of the town itself. There's a Sainsbury's opposite, in case you've forgotten anything, and various pubs, restaurants, cafés and shops nearby. It's around a 10-15 minute walk from Farnham Castle too! So in terms of location, I don't think you could ask for more. There is also plenty of parking if you are driving in, and you just need to log your reg number on the tablet at reception.

Farnham Bush - our room

We were in a Vintage Double room with a garden view; these are some of the oldest rooms in the hotel, which by the way dates back to the 1600s, but the room itself was very fresh, warm and modern. We had a comfortable bed, a TV, space to get ready, room to relax, a gorgeous bathroom with walk-in shower that came with body wash, shampoo AND conditioner. There was an iron, hairdryer, air con/heating, WiFi and of course, the promised garden view. We both slept really well, and couldn't complain at all about the room. It was decorated really beautifully, and I particularly appreciated the full length mirror to check my outfit before dinner...

Farnham Bush - the grounds

One of our favourite parts of the Bush Hotel, Farnham was the gorgeous garden/grounds; it was cool but sunny when we visited, and it was really nice to sit out here with a drink both on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. Despite the proximity to the town centre, it's a really quiet, tranquil space with so much gorgeous greenery and plenty of seating. I can imagine this is the place to be during hot summer days in Farnham!

Food at Farnham Bush

We had dinner at the on-site restaurant, and it was delicious. For my starter I had a stunning crispy duck and hoisin salad, while my wife opted for the prawns. And for our mains, she had the steak and I had the Bush Burger. It was all perfectly cooked, really tasty and piping hot, with great portion sizes too. We also shared a pudding, the chocolate and passionfruit tart - it was a lovely and refreshing finishing touch. My wife had the house red to drink, which she enjoyed, and I had a glass of Sea Change Sparkling which is a nosecco, not something offered on a lot of menus so I was chuffed to see it as a non-drinker!

Our booking included breakfast, which was lovely - there was a hot & cold buffet, a great free-from section, and you could also order off the menu too. I had a lovely sausage sandwich and a croissant, as well as a smoothie; my wife had a bacon and sausage sandwich with a cappuccino. Again, the food was hot and tasted great, and there was a really good variety to choose from.

If you're planning a trip to Farnham, I'd definitely recommend The Bush Hotel - it's a really peaceful, centrally located hotel with comfortable rooms, really attentive staff and great food!

September 2026 reading round up

I had an absolutely awful reading month in September - I've been rewatching Bones, which has really taken up all of my time, and I've just generally been in a bit of a reading slump. I am, however, off on holiday in October; a proper 'fly and flop' holiday, where I plan to get *plenty* of reading done! Anyway, here's what I did manage to read in September... 

Whistle by Linwood Barclay

This was our book club pick for September - we always spin a wheel to decide on a genre, then everyone throws in some book suggestions and we do a poll to choose. This month it was horror, and this was the book we landed on. I am a huge fan of Linwood Barclay, and this is his first actual horror book - and my first ever horror read! I didn't think it was particularly scary, though it had very creepy elements. I really enjoyed it; there's a split timeline, and we're following a woman who moves her & her son to a rural house for the summer, where some really weird things start happening. In our other timeline, we're in a small town following the chief as he tries to solve a string of disappearances and very odd events. As the two stories merge, we're allowed a glimpse into a dark underworld that really gets under your skin... 4 stars!

Big Little Truths by Lianne Moriarty

I loveeeee Lianne Moriarty, and I was so pleased to be back in the world of Big Little Lies - this time for the sequel, ten years on, when the little kids are now teenagers and the mums have all moved on from those crazy events... or have they? I listened to the audiobook of this which was fantastically done, and honestly I just really enjoyed it. 4 stars from me.

The Bali Bucket List by Ava Wilde

Genuinely one of the most dreadful books I've ever read; this was a NetGalley ARC and that's the only reason I didn't DNF it - I think it might have been written by ChatGPT, which is gross. Girl's relationship breaks down so she flees to Bali to "find herself" in the most sad and disrespectful way, blogging about it all, and that's basically all that happens.It's very spicy, but in an incredibly cringe way, and the characters are awful. Hate hate hate hate hated it. Poor decisions, awful scenarios, pathetic people. 1 star and that's being generous.

Two Couples by Cathryn Grant

Another NetGalley ARC, and another one that really wasn't great. It's a thriller about two couples (duh) who buy a remote lakeside holiday home and find a dead body in the pool when they arrive. One person wants to call the police while the others are reluctant to do so - nothing really makes sense, and there are a few twists but none that add much to the plot, and generally it was just quite boring/predictable. 2 stars.

Andddd that's everything I read in September 2026. Started off well and went dramatically downhill! We go again in October...

24 hours in Coventry

I'm a big fan of UK travel - just jumping on a train and spending the weekend, or even just a day, somewhere new. And with that in mind my wife and I visited Coventry at the beginning of September, somewhere neither of us had ever been before. With just 24 hours in the city, here's what we got up to...

Hotel Indigo, Coventry

We stayed at the gorgeous Hotel Indigo - I've shared a full review of the Indigo Coventry, but in short it was absolutely fantastic. It's also super close to the train station (less than a 2 minute walk) making it perfect for visiting the city.

Cogs @ Hotel Indigo, Coventry

We had dinner booked for 7pm on the Friday evening, and we ate the Indigo's restaurant - Cogs. It was the ideal place to eat, and the food was sensational. We both had pâté to start, my wife had steak for her main and I had the most delicious truffle & burrata pizza. And there was a decent dessert selection; I had the dark chocolate brownie with salted caramel ice cream, and my wife had a Biscoff tiramisu! The bar menu also had plenty to choose from, including a fair few mocktails for the non-drinkers like me...

One day in Coventry - our itinerary

We had the whole of Saturday to explore the city, and we definitely managed to see plenty of what Coventry has to offer. After a delightful breakfast at Indigo, we headed off to our first stop of the day: the Coventry Transport Museum. It was £17 each to get in, so fairly expensive, but you get a whole year's worth of visits with one ticket. Great if you're more local, but not really relevant for us... There is SO much to see here though, from penny farthings and royal cars to old ambulances and even an F1 car! You can definitely spend a good few hours here, and I really enjoyed it.

On our way here we actually stumbled upon the Lady Godiva Clock, which is a mechanical clock on the front of Broadgate House. Each hour the bells chime and the wooden doors open, then Lady Godiva herself comes out on a white horse following by Peeping Top from a window above. It was just a really fun thing to see, one that we hadn't known about when planning our Coventry itinerary.

From the transport museum we walked down to see the new and old cathedrals, which are side by side - the new one is really quite hideous, truth be told, but the stained glass was very impressive. And the ruins of the old cathedral were also really cool to explore, especially as it wasn't raining... against the blue sky it did look spectacular.

Our next, and final, stop was St Mary's Guildhall. I booked our tickets in advance on Get Your Guide, for £9 each, and it took a few minutes for us to scan in then we were free to explore. It's much smaller than I expected, but it was an interesting insight into the medieval history of Coventry. More stained glass, a reconstruction of how the kitchen would have looked, some armour... it was cool, but didn't take us long to get around. There is a lovely tea shop attached, though, which has some fantastic cakes and food!

Coventry - our thoughts

Is Coventry somewhere I'd rush back to? Absolutely not, but it was a lovely night away and we did have fun exploring the transport museum and the guildhall; honestly I thought everything would take us a bit longer than it did, so we were left with time that we couldn't really fill. As we don't drive, we were fairly limited to the city centre - and there wasn't much else to do that we couldn't do elsewhere...