Discount codes for H&M are always worth investigating. Right now Club members (free to join here) receive 15% off orders over £60 – all you need to do is add the coupon at check out.

I’ve bought a few things recently in their sale and there are some lovely new spring items arriving daily. Here’s my round up of what to take a look at while the offer is valid.

Firstly here are the new Spring items, though Spring seems a long way away in these temperatures! This dress is the same shape as the William Morris print dress and it has a slip with it. I wear a 16 in it to fit loosely over my chest. It’s a really beautiful cornflower blue and will be great with white Supergas in the summer.

My lovely friend Sue brought this tunic to my attention. We have similar white ones from last summer, though this navy one is definitely shorter and doesn’t have a slip so I won’t be wearing it as a dress. Size down – a medium is great on me.

These culottes are AMAZING. I bought this colour last week and have just ordered the darker denim. I have a UK 14 and they are SO stretchy and lift beautifully. I just love them. Again with white sneakers, a t-shirt and blazer they’ll be just fabulous for the spring.

There is definitely a blue theme here – blue and yellow are definitely colours to look out for this season. I’m looking forward to trying this blazer and I sized up to a 16 for a more oversized fit.

This green blazer looks lovely and I want to pair it with a white t-shirt and white jeans.

These trousers look great for transitional weather and they have elastic in the back of the waistband for comfort. H&M do some of the best ‘pull on’ trousers there are – ideal for work. They’re available in this khaki, brown or black.

Now for some sale items so don’t dilly dally as they always fly out the virtual window quickly. It was hard to choose the colour for this jumper but I ended up ordering a yellow in Large to try. All of them would be beautiful on a chilly spring day. Each is reduced from £49.99 to £30.

This red is a similar style. Reduced from £39.99 to £24.

Now how about this coat. I first saw it on Chloe and for £20 I thought it was worth a try. I LOVE it – the fit is great and the collar is great popped up.

Here I am in it today with my Grenson Nanette boots.

This red coat is a winner too – I have this in a large and it’s lovely.

So given as it’s only the start of February there should be a few things in the sale that you can take advantage of the discount on! We’ve a while before bare ankles are the norm again I think! Right I’m off to watch the Superbowl – how ironic – 18 years in Atlanta and then we get the Superbowl the year we leave!

I have no flipping idea how we have already got to October 2018. Having said that, selling our house back in May in Atlanta, seems a lifetime ago. I feel fortunate that I’ve had no real pangs of regret or remorse. If anything I’ve often found myself feeling quite giddy about being here in Leeds…you know like when Strictly is on, or when discovering Gogglebox, or when realizing that buying coats is now an essential and not a complete waste of time and money!

I do realize that Wednesday is bringing temperatures of 21 degrees Celsius…but if we ignore that little blip the coming weeks are bringing lower temperatures and darker evenings. Yes! It makes me so happy!

I’ve only just started to fully appreciate having all the big stores on my doorstep here in Leeds. H&M have always been a firm favorite but actually having one local, with stock in that I want to try is a bonus!

This coat is fabulous – totally on trend, fun, stylish and warm – and just £69.

Their puffa/padded coats are always great value and come in great colors. This plum one is beautiful.

I just love this faux fur coat – it’s so elegant and stylish.

I’m embarrassed to say, though you won’t be surprised, that I have ordered this padded coat in all three colours, with the intention of returning my two least favorite. Darn it – I can’t decide. They are GREAT coats and such welcome bright alternatives. I sized up for an oversized, slouchier look but if you want your regular fit they are TTS. Codes 6Autumn will get you £6 off when you spend over £60, 10Autumn will get you £10 off when you spend over £80, 15Autumn will get you £15 off when you spend over £100 and 20Autumn will give you £20 off when you spend over £150.

There are so many great coats to choose from and I have to be cognizant that I am moving house again very soon – fingers crossed! My husband will have a fit when he sees how much winter wear I’ve been squirreling away! I’ll be back with more soon! 

Finally here I am today – I’m about to head off this evening to a networking event – so I better choose a coat!

How do you measure happiness? Do we actually know when we’re happy and appreciate it? Do we know when we’re unhappy and make changes to rectify it? 

I’ve always considered myself a happy person. Yes I have been depressed in the past, but I have still found moments of happiness in those brief periods. My baseline of ‘normal’ fluctuates occasionally – so those moments of happiness are sometimes more subdued or less frequent. The changes I’ve made to my lifestyle over the past 3 months (moving to England, and basically doing more, resulting in living healthier) have recently made me think a lot about happiness. I know for sure that I feel wonderfully happy at the moment – and being a scientist I like to understand cause and effect. The thing is, the year before we moved I didn’t feel depressed or particularly unhappy. I just knew something wasn’t right, and something needed to change. Or put another way – there was potential for greater happiness in my life, and who wants to miss out on a chance to be super happy!?

This feeling, was just that – a feeling, an intangible, an unknown. I took a huge risk in selling up and moving my family around the world based on an emotion – a desire to be happier. Writing that makes be shudder a little – wtf was I thinking? – More to the point my husband and children all went along with it without question! Does that mean we were guided by this ‘universal energy’, or similar, that I keep reading about in my ‘how to be a better person’ books? I’ll probably never know, but I have learned that if I trust my instinct and apply a little effort, I normally land in the right place. I have countless examples over my lifetime from deciding where to go to University, to changing careers to facilitate my relocation. I don’t remember doing any of these consciously – but something guided me in the right direction!

If we assume our level of happiness is unlimited why would we limit ourselves to our current level of happiness, especially when I’m certain happiness and health are correlated? It’s great to say ‘I’m happy’ – but what if we could increase our happiness and be happier!? I’m not suggesting we all take risks as monumental as my own, but why not take a few smaller ones? That class you wanted to take, or that new career you’ve been hankering for? A couple of friends have recently embarked on their v2.0 by beginning new careers in their late 40s, and this has got me thinking about what is next for me? How do I further increase my happiness quotient? Better to say oops, than never to try, right? My track record tells me it’s unlikely to be an oops.

We’ve been here two months now. We’ve been across the Pennines, traveled to the Cotswolds, watched a cricket game, and just last night we went to the Proms at Castle Howard. We are certainly making the most of being back in the UK that’s for sure. 

As for what I have been buying, well I guess the big purchases have distracted me from more trivial purchases – a couple of cars and a house can do that! That’s not to say we haven’t enjoyed some shopping trips! Leeds is a real treasure trove for shopping. The centre is clustered around the Briggate pedestrian area, which acts as an anchor for other shopping areas. It’s so easy to navigate between the Kirkgate Market, The Corn Exchange (pictured above), the Victoria Quarter and the newer Trinity shopping centre. We’re so lucky that many of the older buildings, like the market and Corn Exchange have been preserved – they’re a fabulous contrast to the new John Lewis housed in Victoria Gate. 

Animal print

You can’t escape the influx of animal print this season and one of my new favorite stores is New Look. They’ve been around years and I remember buying a very special suede mini skirt there, that I wore in the early 90s. It’s disposable fashion, and priced accordingly, so I do take care not to buy impulsively. Living out of my capsule wardrobe for a couple of months has highlighted the ease of having fewer decisions to make. Less most definitely is more.

This dress is fabulous. It’s a wrap dress so really easy to wear and I wear a black cami under it for modesty. It’s quite often sold out, but pops back in stock often. It’s perfect for today with sandals or in the cooler months with black boots and a leather jacket.

These trousers are waiting to be worn. I’m thinking a plain white t-shirt and white sneakers will be just the ticket. At just £17.99 they’re a real outfit maker. Wear later in the season with an oversize black knit or sweatshirt.

I had a Marks & Spencer 20% off voucher for my birthday and I honestly tried to use it for the kids’ school uniform, but uniform was excluded from my offer…so I bought this jumper for myself. I bought it in a extra large for an oversized slouchy fit with skinny jeans. I saw it coming down the escalator and couldn’t leave without it!

AllSaints sale

I make no secret of my love for AllSaints and it’s wonderful having access to a store again here in Leeds, not to mention their concession in John Lewis. I do try and buy only in the sale as they are by no means cheap, but my AllSaints pieces are the items I go back to time and again, and several of their pieces made it to my capsule wardrobe as I knew I wouldn’t tire of wearing them while we moved.

This is the time of year to buy – the sale is on and now with an extra 20% off.

This jacket is a real investment piece – something that will age beautifully and be a real work horse every winter. At £454 it’s still not cheap – but darned cheaper than it’s original £998! AllSaints cannot be beaten, in my humble opinion, when it comes to leather jackets.

This grey Balfern suede jacket may be completely impractical, but there is no denying it’s beauty.

Boots

Finally, just when I thought I had all the boots a girl can need, albeit currently in storage (hence my justification), these arrived on the Zara site.

I wore them last night to Castle Howard. The quality is fabulous for Zara, and the leather is beautifully distressed.

These snakeskin cowboy boots are stunning. If you have wide calves you may need to wear them slouched – but under long prairie (yes back to the 80s again) skirts or dresses they look amazing.

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