Leeds Castle in........Kent IS FABULOUS

This bank holiday weekend, we found ourselves at THE LOVELIEST CASTLE IN THE WORLD. Sentiments I fully agree with, although these are not my words - but are a direct quote from the castle's website, which I love.

Leeds Castle - in Kent, where it is named for the small village of Leeds, rather than the place up north, was privately owned up until 1974 by the fabulous Lady Olive Baillie, who bought it in 1926 as her HOLIDAY HOME. In the 1930's Lady Baillie held fabulous soirees in the castle, guests included politicians, royalty, the wonderful Mr Harry Gordon Selfridge and Hollywood movie stars, it was all very Great Gatsby.

The castle is in such wonderful condition, you can see all the love and care that has been put into restoring it over the years, not just the castle and moat but the amazing acres of grounds with flowers, trees and rivers.

In its long history, it was known as the 'Ladies Castle' due to the tradition of Kings gifting it to their wives - one of the most famous being Henry VIII who gave it to Catherine of Aragon, it moved from the hands of royalty, to private owners, culminating with Lady Baillie.

In her will, Lady Baillie left the castle to the Leeds Castle Foundation, a private charitable trust that preserves the castle and grounds for the public. It was opened to said public in 1976 and I for one, think this was such an amazing thing for her to do, as now we can all enjoy her wonderful home, even if it is only for a few hours. It is such a calming, beautiful place to visit that is rich with history, I cannot recommend it enough.

Lady Baillie was an avid fan of exotic birds and had many aviaries, she was the first to bring black swans into the country and they became the symbol of the castle. We saw a lovely selection of birds including peacocks, swans and a falconry display!

Inside the castle, 12th century structure and stonework was mixed with Lady Baillie's decor, which drew on influences from the 17th century, right up to modern-at-the-time 1940's style. Also thrown in were some of her beautiful gowns and shoes from the 1920's and 30's.

Wowzers - Look at Nicole Kidman on V Magazine!

Yep, bum out and everything, she is looking good! Nicole has never been one to elicite that much excitement from me but I love it when an actress you have no expectation from, suddenly breaks from her comfort zone and looks hot on a magazine cover. The new issue of V Magazine to be precise.

Yes, she has gone down the obvious route of taking her clothes off to gain attention but shot by the wonderful Mario Testino, it just works for Nicole.

In the accompanying editorial, she is just as racy, as you can see below. Nicole hasn't just decided to bare all for no good reason, she is of course promoting a new film, it is called The Paperboy and in this film, she plays a particularly um, slutty character, hence the theme of this shoot. Nice work, Nicole.

Crazy Golf on Selfridges Roof

Today we had much fun on the roof of Selfridges. Back in the day, founder Harry Gordon Selfridge used to hold lavish events and parties on the roof of his iconic department store and this year, Selfridges, along with Bompas and Parr are honoring that tradition with a tea party (read: restaurant) and 9-hole crazy golf course on the very top of the building.

From the second you step out of the lift - handily express as the way up to the 5th floor, you are transported into an Alice in Wonderland-esque landscape of grass instead of carpet, walls covered in strawberries, golf balls and tea cups, bunting everywhere, retro drawings of golfing ladies and gents and pink cake scented score cards.

Outside, just past the restaurant, the crazy golf course has purple grass and holes that consist of famous London landmarks (tower bridge, Big Ben) jellies and cakes, which you have to navigate your ball through. There is even the token water feature, complete with stepping stones, which I loved.

Overall, its location makes it feel special and let's face it, mini-golf is just fun! Tickets go quick but this is a must-do this Summer.