"A change is as good as a holiday" Proverb

As much as I love the cold nights, cosy jumpers, cinnamon scented candles and woolly scarves in December, by January I am over the whole dammed winter thing.

One reason I hate early January is the lack of new stock in any of my favourite shops.  I absolutely HATE sale shopping, it feels like little more than a jumble sale, trawling through old stock for marginally reduced prices.  My one exception to this is John Lewis, who often display their sale stock the same as their regular stock with great savings to be had in Ted Baker, French Connection and Whistles.  Zara are the absolute worst - I'm sure I saw a dress in their sale I purchased two summers ago..!

With that in mind, a few of my favourite retailers have began to take in their new 2015 stock - some of the highlights below:

The Victoria's Secret New Ultimate Half Zip - perfect for my new couch to 5k running programme...and lazy days!

I have a real lack of what I call "in between" clothes, as in not work/going out/lounging stuff.  This Jack Wills shirt would be perfect for going out for dinner.

I am dreaming of the days when I no longer need my massive parka or heavy wool coat! This Joules cornfield yellow rubber jacket is the perfect transitional piece as winter subsides and we head into spring. 

Hubs and I have a charity dinner/dance coming up - this Virgo's Lounge Danica dress to TDF!!!

Let's face it - it's still winter, so we need cosy clothes! This Cashmere jumper via the White Company is still stylish with a block black back. 

Adidas Gazelles - a classic! I have been loving the sports luxe/trainer trend.  This is a little bit more streamlined than those chunky New Balances everyone seems to be wearing, I am a sucker for bright colours but would ultimately probably order them in black or navy.

"How sweet it is to be loved by you"

My hubs celebrated the big 3-3 recently..! He is extremely laid back and low key, and therefore wanted an extremely laid back and low key birthday celebration.  As well as some gorgeous bits and bobs from his favourite local shop Attic (http://www.atticclothing.com/) and tickets to the Sports Personality of the Year awards in Glasgow, I decided to give him exactly what I knew he would love...a quiet night in! There is no in between with hubs, he loves a night out with the lads or a night in doing absolutely nothing.

Along with picking up a Chinese from our favourite take away place EVER (since we moved it's now a 30-45 minute drive away and therefore a very rare treat), I decided to order him some cupcakes from 'Tasty Little Cupcake' in Aberdeen.  I know the whole novelty cake/cupcake thing has been done to death, but these cupcakes are something special!  I sent Kim, the owner, an email listing all hubs' favourite things, and created a unique cake for each interest.  They were so special and had an unbelievable WOW factor.  I would highly recommend Tasty Little Cupcake for any birthdays or celebrations you have coming up.

I mentioned hubs love of football, golf, Oasis, Barbour, VW Golfs and the fact that we got married at the Old Course Hotel.  I was so chuffed with them and even more delighted with Scott's reaction :)

The whole beautiful box! We demolished all of these...

Barbour jacket

Football boots!

My personal favourite - Oasis albums!

"Running is the greatest metaphor for life, because you get out of it what you put into it" Oprah Winfrey

I have never been athletically gifted.  I come from a reasonably sporty family, with golf and football being the main focus, but slogging my guts out on a pitch or, to be honest, spending 90 minutes watching other people slogging their guts out on a pitch has never appealed to me. 

Getting fit has long been an ambition of mine, and other than a couple of half heated Body Attack classes last year, I've never really done anything about it. Fuelled by the motivation of Christmas weight gain, I signed up for the Garioch Couch to 5k running classes along with two of my equally unfit pals.

The classes run every Saturday morning at 9.30am from the Garioch Sports Centre and consist of a run/walk programme.  The aim is to get you running for 30 minute solidly which is the equivalent of a 5k...apparently!

I donned my leggings, Hubs' football training top, a hoodie, under armour and a woolly hat to being my first session on one of the coldest days we've had this winter! We began with a two minute walk, followed by intervals of 30 seconds running, and two minutes walking.  I have absolutely no stamina and managed this fine, as did most of the group. 

I was so inspired that I purchased a stop watch so I could  continue the training outwith the group, and a fleecy headband to keep my ears cosy.

I was a little sore the following morning, but this was predominantly my arms as I was so tense from the cold. My sister-in-law (sista!) gave me a handy little tip - when you run pretend you are holding two pringles, this will stop you from clenching!

I am planning to try to get out running/walking three times per week - with the aim of running the Garioch 5k in March. More information here... http://www.rungarioch.co.uk/

"Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man" Benjamin Franklin

It’s seems to be everyone is fed up of New Year’s Eve/Hogmanay. It’s become de rigueur to be a little blasé about the last night out of the year, with some people claiming to prefer not to celebrate at all.  I am almost fanatical about Christmas but a massive piece of my heart belongs to Hogmanay.  For the last 21 years my family has packed up and headed to Craigendarroch, a resort just outside Ballater.  I’ll do a separate post about our Hogmanay trip but I wanted to share the silent promises we all make to ourselves in the dawn of a new year, with 365 days stretched out before us.  I’m sharing them partly because I think it makes you more accountable, and also because I get ideas for my own resolutions by reading others.

Tiny little ones:

Lose weight/exercise more – these two obviously go hand in hand.  One of my best friends is getting married on the 24^th and I have a gorgeous (but unforgiving!) dress to slip into before then! But overall I’d like to be a bit healthier, weight loss aside. I have a massive sweet tooth and eat out/get takeaways far too often. I used to be able to crash diet for a week and lose half a stone but the closer I get to the big 3-0 the harder this seems to be!

Regular date nights – Scott and I leads ridiculously busy lives so as a result most of the time we spend together tends to be at home.  I love this however it’s very tempting to put your PJs on, and sit on the sofa in relative silence while browsing social media and watching TV.  I want us to have a fortnightly date night where we actually dress up and leave the house…

KEEP THIS BLOG UP TO DATE. Enough said.

The Big Ones:

Be more grateful.  I have a lovely, lovely life and it’s very easy to get dragged down by the negatives in positive situations.  For example, I always have loads of nights out/weddings/hen parties/engagement parties etc – instead of complaining about how busy I am and ticking these events off like a to-do list, I should be grateful that I am surrounded by such wonderful friends and family who want to include me in their plans.

Live in the present.  I am constantly planning the next holiday, our next weekend away, even what I’m going to have for dinner that night! I am going to try and enjoy the moment more.

Love more. Very simple but extremely necessary.

2015 is shaping up to be a very exciting year, two of my best friends are getting married, we’ve got a few holiday plans in the works including a wedding in NYC, Scott’s brother is getting married in Canada and MOST EXCITING, my niece of nephew is due in March! I’m hoping that a combination of sticking to my resolutions and all the fabulous plans we have will make for a truly spectacular year indeed. 

"I have simple tastes. I am always satisfied with the best" Oscar Wilde

I have to agree with the fabulous Mr Wilde.  I am definitely a luxuries girl; whether it's staying in an amazing hotel, driving an expensive car or carrying a designer handbag there are no substitutes for the absolute best.  I live this champagne lifestyle on a somewhat lemonade budget, however last weekend that budget was blown out of the water by a couple of nights at Gleneagles in Perthshire. 

I had stayed in Gleneagles a couple of years ago, at that time hubs and I were upgraded to an absolute baller suite in the newer part of the hotel.  Lightning did indeed strike twice as we were again upgraded on this trip, albeit to a nicer room in the more traditional style.  Our room not only had a beast of a king size bed, there was a separate living room and double bunk beds! We were actually upgraded because of a mix up with our booking i.e. they lost it!



The trip was a Christmas present for my mum and dad, including dinner at the two Michelin star Andrew Fairlie restaurant.  We opted for the Du Marche menu, which consists of seven courses of absolute heaven!  My brother, his fiancé, hubs and I all decided to order wine by the bottle.  My parents were treated to the extremely pricey alternative which has a different glass of wine for each course.  My mum shared her vino (sadly my dad was more stingy with his…) so we could appreciate how it complimented the food. I have absolutely no palate whatsoever when it comes to wine (champagne, my friends, is a different story) however even I could taste the subtle difference the proper wine made to already outstanding dishes. 

The restaurant itself was ridiculously beautiful.  The water glasses were hand decorated, they should have looked kitsch but were so dainty and elegant amongst the darker tones of the room and heavy place settings and silverware. 

The Dormy House at the golf course was the venue for our Sunday lunch at Gleneagles.  As the course will host the 2014 Ryder Cup, the restaurant, bar and facilities have recently undergone a refurbishment.  I am not a golfer at all but I love golf courses, and in particular golf shops – who knows why?! Those starched collars really do it for me.

My brothers’ girlfriends, my mum and I all spent a couple of hours being pampered in the spa while the boys watched the rugby – I know who got the better part of that deal!  I have spent a lot of time in five star establishments, but the spa at Gleneagles must be one of the most beautiful I’ve ever encountered.  I felt a bit creepy taking pictures in the spa so here’s a little teaser..!

I couldn’t recommend Gleneagles for a weekend away more.  While it’s not my favourite hotel in Scotland (I’m looking at you, Old Course!) it would come a close second, and has no competition in terms of total luxury and relaxation. 

Amazing food + gorgeous spa + particularly fabulous people = LUXURY

To paraphrase my friend Oscar, simples J  

"Home isn't a place, it's a feeling" Celia Ahern

Another unwarranted ridiculously long blogging break...however my New Years resolution (along with the usual exercise, be more organised etc etc)  is to blog well and blog often.

Hubs, Baxter and I are homeless at the moment, if you can refer to living in the absolute luxury of my parents' house as homeless. We sold out gorgeous flat at the end of November, moved in with my folks in December and promptly signed on the dotted line for a beautiful little gingerbread looking house, hoping to move in on the 1st of  March. Our wee home is currently without a kitchen, bathrooms, floors or anything really other than walls and a roof.

I LOVE interior design, Pinterest and interior decor magazines have taken over my usual lifestyle and fashion centric reading...I'm channelling Upper East Side chic, combined with a beachy cottage, and a little Scottish style thrown in for good measure. Essentially I want our home to feel warm but not overpowering, clean without being cold and inviting without feeling like your granny's front room! Essentially I want to feel comfortable but still surrounded by beautiful things. Easy, right? Some inspirations:

"If music be the food of love, play on"

I love my food.  I genuinely get excited waking up in the morning in anticipation of my soggy bowl of raisin wheats (in WARM milk), count down the minutes until lunch when I can enjoy a sandwich, salad or something a little fancier if I'm smoozing and the excitement for dinner begins approximately around the time I finish my last mouthful of lunch. 

 

I love big hearty meals, I love tapas style snacking, I love overflowing bowls of fruit as much as I love giant bars of green and black's chocolate, bags of haribo or M&S salted caramel popcorn. 

 

I have been making a conscious effort to eat a smidgen healthier, which I do find difficult as my job and social life dictate I eat out at least 3 times a week. 

 

Some of my most recent food obsessions (NB I use this word not lightly...)

 

Edamame and chicken gyoza from Giraffe - the sauce they cook the edamame in is like crack. Try it and you'll never want to eat anything else again.

 

 

I love Japanese food in general, I visit Yo Sushi at least once a week which is overkill I am sure.  Hubs is only too keen to accompany me as he loves the fact you get food straight away and don't have to wait.  Yo recently extended their 'Blue Mondays' to 'Blue Thursdays' (although now they're back to only Mondays) where all the plates cost £2.40 - as you can see we clean up at these nights!

More sushi from a local Aberdeen restaurant, Konnichi. I wasn't crazy about the atmosphere but the rolls are awesome.

 

My absolute favourite Aberdeen restaurant is the Rendezvous @Nargilie.  It's a gorgeous little Turkish place in the heart of the West End, we always go for the Vezir which is an extended version of Meze.  The shirts belong to my brother and adorable Granda, who is Egyptian - that's where we get our love of Middle Eastern food!

 

 

Although we do eat out a lot I do find time to cook occasionally :) last night we had these yummy stuffed aubergines recipe here - http://www.waitrose.com/home/recipes/recipe_directory/s/stuffed_aubergines_with_mozzarella.html

And tried out my friend Lauren's idea of a 'fun salad' or an indoor picnic as I like to call it! All our favourite foods; corn on the cob, sunblush tomatoes, chicken satay, greek salad with feta and strawberries. YUM

 

I have an insatiable sweet tooth which can usually be satisfied by bog standard chocolate, however if I'm in the mood for something fancier I go for Cocoa Ooze! It's an amazing local chocolate company and possibly the best chocolate I have ever tasted in my life! Check them out here http://cocoa-ooze.co.uk/

 

Enough food porn for the time being...