Pooch friendly, take two!

After posting my last pooch friendly pub recommendation I was inundated with messages from various people recommending other places to go and try out, meaning we were spoilt for choice.

To add some fun into trying new places, my other half and I made a pact. If we ate somewhere new (I'm a fussy sod), he paid. If we ate somewhere I'd been before, I had to pay. So the bet was on and I was more than keen to find somewhere I hadn't been before.

As this weekend was our last together for a while due to him going away for 10 weeks with work, we wanted to find somewhere nice for Sunday lunch where we could take the dog. So, I got brave and phoned one of the recommendations. I was absolutely mortified the person on the other end of the phone was so rude! After asking for a table for two, the lady abruptly told me they had no room, ALL afternoon - right from opening to almost closing time, went to put the phone down before I could finish asking and basically said they couldn't accommodate.

Needless to say, we won't be returning there and I was more than happy to go somewhere we knew we would get a friendly lunch - The George and Dragon in Hagworthingham So yes, I had to pay. However, all was not lost; Teddy had his usual fuss from the owners and every other man and his dog that entered the pub, I had my favourite meal and the other half had his paid for....

Afterwards I suggested heading over to The View Cafe Bar near Skegness to try out some milkshakes I've been seeing a lot of on Facebook. They look delicious and I was more than keen to try and review one on here. Even better, dogs are welcome in their outside seating area AND its overlooking the beach. What more could you want?

The "Crazee Shakes" are quite literally as crazy looking as they sound. Priced at £7.95, they aren't for the faint hearted but come in a variety of flavours, giving you more than enough choice with just how crazy you want to go.

Being the chocolate orange fanatic I am, I went for the "Chocolate Orange Overload" whereas the other half went for "The Only Way is Reeses". Both came absolutely overloaded with more chocolate than I think I've ever consumed , topped with whipped cream and then even more chocolate just to top it off.

I was really sceptical at first. I absolutely love milkshakes and if it's one thing that ruins them, it has to be ones that taste far too much like pure milk with a dash of powder flavouring in. However, I was left speechless when I took of sip of the Reese one. It really did taste just like a Reese. One word: amazing.

Next it was time to try mine and again I was left without words - or maybe this was the start of a chocolate coma... who knows. Mine tasted like a cross between a jaffa cake and a terry's chocolate orange. I think I'd officially entered chocolate heaven.

Honestly, if you're stuck for something to do in the holidays with the kids, or even just want a nice meal where the drinks don't taste like something watered down, then definitely head here. I jest that the milkshakes will put you an induced chocolate coma, but what I really mean is they are absolutely divine and in my opinion well worth the money - not just for the taste, but the time and effort that goes into making one. It says a lot about a restaurant to me when care and thought is put into the presentation of something.

Definitely recommended - although please all don't head there at once, I almost want to keep this place to myself.

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Putting the B back in bounce, without the soreness!

After being put through my paces in a dressage lesson one day, I found that my breasts were quite sore, and it's not like I'm blessed with enormous ones to flaunt around, my bra fitted correctly and I felt like I was riding properly; so why did they feel tender?

Once home I decided to sit on good old google and found a recent study conducted by Dr Jenny Burbage, a biomechanics specialist at the University of Portsmouth, and Lorna Cameron, of Sparsholt College.

They found that 40% of 1,324 riders surveyed experienced breast pain, and less than 35% of these riders wear sports bras whilst riding. Shockingly, 59% of participants reported bra-related issues as well. 

With the British Equestrian Trade Association (BETA) reporting that over 74% of riders are women, you'd think there would be more support out there to help us decide on the best bras out there and support, for when riding. 

A good sports bra will limit excessive movement using various tricks and technologies, so the impact on the ligament is contained and breast tissues will be better protected from damage. 

The old myth that only big-breasted sportswomen need sports bras is absolutely 100% wrong. Not only do small breasts bounce around, but they are moving in three-ways: up, down and sideways. According to Shock Absorber research, 44% of women who exercise regularly, don't wear sports bras and astonishingly, it reported that even small breast move 40mm away from the body. 

Now, I don't mean to scare you, but those who regularly exercise without wearing the correct support could be causing 'breast droop', which can happen to breasts of all shapes and sizes when not supported but bounced around, and the ligament is being stretched. 

I was absolutely adamant I didn't need a sports bra and even more adamant they were all ugly and rather unappealing to me. That was until the company 'boobydoo' was mentioned to me in a passing conversation. 

They make all types of sports bras and have a bra aimed at horse-riders, that is designed to reduce pressure tension on the shoulders and block breast movement. 

I must admit, I was wondering what come out the packaging when I opened it up. I had visions of the horrid sports bras I'd seen in the past and vowed never to touch, but honestly I was pleasantly surprised. 

Upon initial inspection, the bra didn't look like a sports bra, but more of your normal everyday wear that you do your shopping in, muck the horse out in and then attend a night out at the pub in. It was a thumbs up so far from me!

When I got it out the packaging I had a look at what made this bra different from the type I could buy on my local high-street shop, and then I realised why. 

The cups offer full coverage and are specially moulded which offers a natural fit and helps minimise bounce when doing any kind of horse-riding, from your everyday hacking, right through to eventing. 

One thing I always find with my everyday bra is usually when it comes to riding in them, I find the straps quickly become uncomfortable and dig into my back, especially if I'm wearing my body protector. 

However, this bra has lightly padded straps which are not only comfortable but didn't dig into me when it came to jumping and having to ride in my body protector. Even better, the nude colour was discreet under my show shirt meaning I didn't have to be conscientious about needing to wear a vest top underneath my shirt. Bonus, especially in summer when the less layers, the better! 

Since being a small child, I've always found tags of any shape or size on clothes irritating and there's nothing worse than having a rolled up tag on your bra irritating you whilst you're trying to focus on a dressage test, but thankfully this bra has none and the buckles at the back are fully padded, so not only do you have no tags digging into your spine, but there's also no pesky bra clips causing you concern whilst you're trying to concentrate! 

Overall I was very impressed, and even more so after realising I'd just done a 45-minute intense dressage session with my horse, and yet I didn't feel irritable and sweaty in all the wrong places like you do with normal, everyday bras. Amazingly, the wire channeling on this wicks away the sweat leaving you dry and comfortable even after riding in the midday sun!

With this bra you can kiss goodbye to sweaty, post exercise breasts that feel achy and that horrible scratching on your back from bra clips if you've rushed and not ensured the padding is down flat. It reduced the bounce and movement a significant amount and for the first time I felt comfortable and was able to sustain sitting in trot for longer than just a couple of minutes. It was that comfortable I almost forgot I was wearing it - which for me is great as I usually find some bras really uncomfortable, depending how the wire sits. 

9/10 for this super bra, and it's only not a 10 because I'd still like it to be a little more 'sexy', but then I was comfortable, so for me it was a win! Small breasted ladies, I even urge you to have a look! For just £35, you too can ride comfortably and put the bounce back in those flying changes rather than your breasts!

For more information go to the boobydoo website where you can also purchase matching briefs! Now that's tempting...

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Did someone say Nationals?

I'm sure you all remember me writing (freaking out) about qualifying Ziggy for the RC Nationals a couple of weeks ago in Show-Jumping and how thrilled I was that both him and Ceaser would be going together after the old boy collected his golden ticket for dressage too. Well...

At that point I was trying to figure out how I'd have a cat in hells chance of riding Ceaser in the senior team dressage test and making it to Ziggy's show jumping class on time, given that they both had basically the same start time. Never a dull moment at camp Lovatt!

Anyway, my first Nationals experience just got a whole lot more complicated, and don't get me wrong, I'm absolutely bloody thrilled to be writing this albeit wondering if I can clone myself at the same time.

At the qualifier Ziggy finished second in his arena meaning he narrowly missed out on a golden ticket to nationals as an individual, which I was gutted about at the time as it would've been lovely to have both boys going to compete in the dressage and at that point he hadn't qualified in show-jumping so I was unsure he'd even be going.

Well, someone upstairs must have thought I'd been good these last couple of weeks and yesterday I had an email to say the person that actually won in Ziggy's arena was ineligible to compete at Prelim, so technically my wonder boy won, meaning we HAVE got our place at nationals in dressage. Thus equating to (yes both boys representing our region in dressage) a rather manic day ahead.

I'm absolutely delighted, as I wanted nothing more than both the boys with me there, representing the region in something I take a great deal of pleasure from doing. I'm unsure where Ceaser's 'affiliated' career is going after this, so it could well be the last 'big' event I campaign him at (more info at a later date), which makes it all the more special to have both of them there with me, at Ziggy's first attempt too.

It all seems pretty surreal still at the moment. I never in my wildest dreams imagined Ziggy would pick the dressage up so quickly, and be so successful at an early age and all that know me can vouch for how absolutely shell shocked I was to bag a golden ticket in show-jumping. I'm the girl that never used to jump! Then Ceaser....where do I start? He went out to the qualifier having done very little competing for 12 months, after some time off with his eye and just won. I count my blessings with them both everyday.

Basically, what I'm saying is, if anyone is going to Lincoln and has a spare pair of hands then please yell - or if I look like I need a Vodka, please pass me one.

On that note, I'll leave it there - I just had to share my excitement. We're all allowed to blow our own trumpet every once in a while aren't we? :)

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Pooch friendly pubs? They exist, honestly!

After a morning spent in wellies, walking around the beautiful Lincolnshire countryside with the dog there's nothing quite like finding a small, country pub that not only serves gorgeous food, but is also pooch friendly too!

...and trust me, these places exist!

I've been an avid visitor to The George & Dragon pub nestled in the picturesque village of Hagwortingham in Lincolnshire for quite some time now, but yesterday was the first day I dared to ask the question "Can Teddy come too? We'll sit outside!" only to find they are in fact a dog friendly pub and have a separate side of the bar for dog owners that want to bring their four-legged companion along!

The other half, Teddy and I had spent the morning at Snipe Dales Country Park, running up and down the hills, splashing in the pond and we were more than ready for some lunch by noon.

The owners and other members of staff at The George & Dragon are always welcoming, whatever time or day it is, so to know we can take Teddy along now is an added bonus!

From the carvery, bar menu, to homemade puddings, there is something for everyone and they even accommodate the most fussiest of eaters - me - which trust me is a hard task.

However, being dog-friendly and accommodating is equally as important to the food to me and I was a little worried that other customers would walk in the door, see Teddy sat there and have a little grumble, but much to my delight (more his!) everyone that walked in wanted to stroke him and were more than happy to have him there.

If you're booking a table and thinking of taking the dog, I'd highly recommend asking for the one near the dart board. We opted to sit there as its set slightly out the way and weren't worried then that Teddy would get under any passers by feet.

Anyway, as you can see, he approved, we had a lovely Sunday carvery and we all left happy!

Definitely recommended.

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Style to keep you covered - Timothy Foxx - press release

These gorgeous tweed Ponchos from British tweed designers Timothy Foxx are styled in the brand’s designer Scottish Coral & Belle Tweed and follows the trend for draped and deconstructed dressing as noted on Balenciaga’s autumn/winter 2017 catwalk show.

Designed to drape beautifully over the shoulders, both are fully lined: One with a pop of floral print (ticking another trend) and the other with a bold polka dot lining and both are finished with a parade of engraved buttons across the shoulder.

Designed to be worn in three ways; as shown in the photo with the buttons across the shoulder, the buttons at the back which creates more of a cape shape and if you put the buttons at the front it makes a thick scarf around your neck. 

A lightweight addition you’ll be wearing now and well into next season.

Timothy Foxx Poncho in Coral & Timothy Foxx Poncho in Belle Both RRP: £149

 

www.timothyfoxx.co.uk 01296 423 399

 

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