Me Time

While I've been really good at sticking to a bit of a schedule recently I made an exception last sunday. I've just been so busy lately with working, coaching and swimming that I felt I really needed some time to myself. So much so that I even refused a date, sorry! but to be honest I would've been very poor company anyway.

Instead I took complete advantage of having the house to myself; I stuck my PJs on, opened a bottle of wine and made myself the ultimate mini feast of all things bad!

If you've never done the whole baked camembert thing then you need to get on that ASAP cause its amazing. Generally I would recommend sharing but I managed to find myself a mini one to go with a baguette, my favourite crisps and added few maltesers for good measure.

See a feast of all things bad but oh so yummy! Pair that with Netflix and you've got yourself the ultimate night in...well at least thats my opinion.

What do you like to do to help you unwind?

A whole lot of questions tag

Just after my first ever tagged post I was nominated by Courtney to do a second one but this one is much longer and possibly more interesting so I just had to give it a go; hopefully you'll get to know me a bit better and then I can have loads of fun reading your responses.

Grab a cuppa and a comfy seat as it is a bit of a long one....

Sorted? ok lets go...

Apple juice or orange juice?

I think I have to go apple on this one!

Are you a morning or a night person?

Can I be neither? I hate getting up in the morning, but also hate to waste my day and since I know how bad I am at getting up I usually like to get to sleep at a decent time. 

Which do you prefer: sweet or salty food?

SWEET! you may have noticed this by my love of afternoon tea, coffees and cakes!

Ninjas or pirates?

I once had a dream where I was a ninja and I'm also not a fan of the sea so thats that one settled

Autobots or Decepticons?

is that even a question?! Autobot's of course

What was your favourite childhood TV program?

Honestly I don't remember watching much TV as a kid I was always out swimming or dancing. I did watch the Little Mermaid on repeat though so can that count?

Are you a collector of anything?

No, I stopped before it got out of hand! ... I have a fairly large china doll collection stored away somewhere

If you could be any animal what would you be?

A dog; they just look like the have a great time and everyone loves them!

If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

I think I'd like to be able to fly...I used to dream about it a lot as a kid

What do you usually think about before falling asleep?

A better question is what don't I think about...so basically everything; kitchens, did I forget to do something today, what do I need to do today, am I going to be single forever, I don't need a man I can do everything for myself, I wonder if anyone remembers that one time when I was 13.... I think you guys get the idea!

Do you believe in E.Ts or life on other planets?

Its not something I've given much thought to, but there probably are living things somewhere else.

Do you believe in ghosts?

No

Ever been addicted to a video/computer game? which one?

The sims; I used to play for hours on end. I gave up when Sims 4 came out

You're given a million dollars, what do you want to spend it on?

A house (this whole saving thing sucks!) and I'd probably give some to my brothers and parents

Have any bad habits?

Procrastinating! I'm very good at putting stuff off till the last minute then stressing about getting it done on time

Which bad habits, if any, drive you crazy?

People who don't know when to put their phone down and people who are rude

List 3 of your best personality traits

I like to think I'm optimistic (or at least I try to be), kind and generous

List 3 of your worst personality traits

Sensitive, impatient and easily distracted

Have any celeb crushes?

Nah not really

Name one thing you wish you could change about yourself?

Nothing! It's taken me a long time to learn to love me for me, I'm not perfect but I like me just the way I am

What is the first thing you notice in the opposite sex?

Hands...yeah I know thats a bit weird but hey

What personality traits do you look for in a partner?

• kind
• caring
• honest

What personality traits do you dislike in other people?

• rudeness
• selfishness
• attention seeker

Are you mostly a clean or messy person? 

This is a strange question cause I'm clean but my room is a mess!

If its supposed to be clean or dirty then clean. 

If its tidy or messy then messy. (but its an organised mess, I know where everything is)

Do you see yourself getting married in the next 5 years?

I would love to be married in 5 years but since I'm single right now who knows if it'll happen?!

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?

This is too hard! I actually love where I live right now and I've been lucky enough to experience living in another country already. If I got the chance to go somewhere else then I'd probably take it but for know I'm quite happy where I am and love exploring new places on holiday.

If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go?

Chicago, Venice, San Francisco... I have a list

List 5 goals on your life's to-do list

• be happy
• be healthy
• get married
• have kids
• become a property developer (this is a very long term goal)

Name one regret that you have

I can't; theres things I maybe shouldn't have done but everything i've ever done has got me to where I am now and I wouldn't change that for the world

Name one thing you miss about being a kid

no responsibilities

Name one thing you love about being an adult?

Freedom! The choice to do whatever I want

What is your favourite song at the moment?

tough one! its probably a tie between Centuries , Fall out boy and Sex, cheat codes x kris kross Amsterdam

What is your favourite song of all time?

Dark Blue, Jack's Mannequin 

What's your favourite thing to do on a Saturday night?

a quiet drink in the house with friends or family watching a good movie

What is your favourite thing to do on a Sunday afternoon?

If I'm not at work or the pool then a walk along the beach followed by a nice warm coffee and some cake

Have you got any hidden talents?

Nope, I'm pretty boring

You're about to walk the green mile, what do you have as your last meal?

An indian and a large glass of wine

What would be your dream job?

I kind of have 2...I want to flip properties and run my own swim school at the same time

What would you rather have: 100million pounds/dollars, or true love?

True love all the way!

If you could have 3 wishes granted, what would they be?

surely part of the fun of goals/dreams is the hard work you have to put in to get there... but probably:

• buy my first home
• find someone who loves me just the way I am
• have a puppy/the time to take care of one

Ever wish you were born the opposite sex? if yes why?

Kind of...I'm just curious what it's like, men just don't seem to worry like we do nd i'd love to know what that feels like.

Guys thats it! we've come to the end! that was great fun, I kind of want to answer more....anyone got any more questions for me?

up next:

Ruby at Ruby Monday

Zoe at It's all Sunflowers, Books and crafts

Tajaljeh at Life as Tajaljeh

Emma at A few of my favourite things

Danielle at Student to Staff Nurse

The Versatile Blogger Award

I've never done one of these before but when Freya over at Freya's Nook tagged me I thought I'd give it a go. Just like her I love to know a little more about the blogger behind the blog. So heres the deal, write down 7 random facts about yourself then tag 10 other bloggers and challenge them to do the same. Hopefully we can all get to know a little more about each other!

So lets see if I can think of 7 things you don't know about me

1. I loved the TV show Heroes
2. I have a completely irrational fear of sharks; they seriously terrify me!
3. I moved back in with my parents 18 months ago (renting & saving is not fun)
4. I usually enjoy a night in way more than a night out
5. I lived in Europe for 4 years
6. I overthink everything
7. I can't walk around in bare feet..I must wear slippers or at least socks

So that took longer than expected! I had to try think of things you wouldn't know, so hopefully you learned something new about me, so now its time to tell me about you! I've picked out some blogs that I have only just discovered. I nominate the following people:

1. Kaitlin Louise from Kaitlin Louise
2. Zoe It's all Sunflowers, Books and Crafts
3.Lindsay Ava from Stiletto in the cloud
4. Lee from Wine & Couture
5.Peta from 24 hours in today
6. Emily from Love Emily 
7. Courtney from My life as courtney
8. Samantha from Samantha Smith
9. Sian from Sian blogs
10. Amber from Ambambe

I can't wait to read your responses!

Here are the rules of the tag:

-thank the person that nominated you (thats me!)
-share the award on your blog
-share your 7 facts
-choose 10 bloggers with less than 1000 followers (i went on twitter followers)
-notify them on social media

Current Netflix Addiction

My longest, most reliable relationship has to be the one I share with caffeine. I mean come on who can turn down a nice warm cappuccino or caramel latte? certainly not me. But lately my caffeine addiction has had a very close competitor...Netflix.

I just can't get enough, I think it started when I was struggling with jet lag after my holiday. Not being able to get to sleep till 1am meant more time for reading and working on my new relationship with Netflix.

So what have I been watching...

ITS ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA
It was my brother who first told me about this and I do know a few others who watch it. Its not my favourite tv show but I really enjoy it every now and again. Its funny and short, ideal if you just half half an hour to fill before you head out somewhere or like me, attempt to get to sleep for the 10th time.

PRETTY LITTLE LIARS
It seems like 90% of my twitter feed watch this but none of my real friends do...what can I say I guess I have interesting taste in tv shows. Unlike some I haven't been watching it since the beginning, I've pretty much just been binge watching this in an attempt to catch up. So thank you jet lag for letting me get right up to date with this and now I don't need to avoid spoilers! This show is something I should've watched when I was 16, I feel like it would've fit in perfectly with my love of Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill (speaking of, I wish that was on Netflix!).

REIGN
After working my way through the Tudors There was a historical drama sized hole in my life, stumbling across this definitely fills that gap. Definitely not to everyones taste and by no means historically accurate but oooh the pretty dresses!

GILMORE GIRLS
Yes I know I'm a little late to this party but you see I never watched it first time round but don't worry I'm making up for lost time. Season 1 down and a dent made in season 2. This show makes me feel like it is acceptable to eat a tonne of pizza and drink even more coffee than I already do. After all if they can do it why can we? oh yeah thats right my life is not a tv show.

What have you been watching lately? anything I need to get onto ASAP?

'Why are you single?'

Now is it just me or is that the most annoying question ever?! And it is never asked as a genuine question, as if the person asking is actually interested in your reasoning! Its usually asked with a not-so-subtle hint of concern as if there is something wrong with you. And even after a good explanation you are still met with a 'but don't you want to be in a relationship?' and you just stare back wondering if they even listened to a word you said.

I'm fed up of people not listening/understanding so decided to get this off my chest and where better to do it but here!

The biggest thing people don't seem to understand is that it's perfectly ok to be happy by yourself. In fact I think its quite important. Now I'm not saying I don't want a relationship but I'm also not going to settle. I'm happy; I enjoy my job, going to the gym and spending time with friends; my life is good and I'm very lucky so why would I want to be with someone who doesn't add to that?

Apparently this is a very difficult thing to comprehend...maybe its just because I don't need to rely on someone else and not everyone has that luxury. Everyone is different and I think thats something to celebrate not poke fun of so can we all just be friends please :)

The perks of being single is that you can pretty much do what you want when you want and don't have to worry about other people; I feel like I've had so many adventures with friends and family! Yes it would be nice to find someone who I could share this with but as I said it has to be there right person.

I'm glad I got that off my chest; tried to keep it short so I don't bore you but I just felt I had to put it out there.

Finally got a haircut I like!

I wouldn't normally post about a haircut but I think I need to make an exception today!

First thing you need to know is I absolutely hate going to the hairdresser, I've never gotten over the damage that was done to my hair when I was in high school.

Ok so my hairdresser at the time only spoke French/German and Luxembourgish (puts us to shame really) her English however was about as good as my French so it created a bit of a language barrier to say the least so everytime I sat down for my 100euro haircut I had to put all my faith in her....well it was not great.

I ended up with what I call Mushroom hair; it was like I had 2 completely different sections of hair. One really long layer that had been thinned out to the max, then one other much shorter layer where all the volume was - I hated it!

The worst part was my hair grows so slowly!

So there you go the reason for my complete lack of faith in hairdressers. Even over the last couple of years I've struggled to find a hairdresser who can deal with my hair. So I was very pleasantly surprised on Thursday when I finally walked into the hairdresser and the lovely Stacey did exactly what I wanted (just a trim/tidy up).

The next time I need my hair done I won't hesitate to pop into Eden  - might even get a little bit of colouring done, but we'll see!

Relaxing after a long day

After a long day at work sometimes there is nothing for it other than a little bit of 'me time'. It's important to treat yourself every now and again; in fact its Sunday and laziness is almost a requirement so light your favourite candle, get the bath running and pop on a face mask.

Fill the bath with your favourite bath salts or bubbles and hop in.

Don't forget your juice, popcorn and Netflix!

Once your fingers are very wrinkly its time to get out and lather yourself in your favourite body lotion, stick on your PJs and put your feet up.

To finish off a relaxing evening I grab my Repose cream and settle in with a book and a cosy blanket.

What do you like to do after a long day at work?

My recent lack of motivation

For the past month or so I've seriously been lacking motivation for pretty much everything from work to keeping fit. It's been awful, such a vicious circle as you'll probably know.

I'm not 100% sure what caused it but all I really wanted to do was eat crap and sit on my butt. I managed to get myself into the pool at least once a week but they gym was just out of the question. This only made things worse, the more lethargic I felt the less I wanted to work out or eat well.

I seem to be turning the corner now though; I've been in the pool 3 times this week, done some yoga and actually been productive again during the day. Woohoo!

I guess sometimes you just have to give yourself a break and get back into the swing of things when you're ready.

 Leggings | Sports bra | Top (similar)

Why am I telling you this you might wonder...well I have a plan to try to look after myself a bit better and maybe if I share it with you I will last longer! So I took a couple of snaps of my essential gym items to share with you.

ipod

The iPod is essential,  I'm too easily distracted so my phone stays in my locker for the duration of my work out, but of course music is key so you can't beat the wee iPod shuffle to store your favourite gym playlist.

Goggles

The plan going forward is to swim twice a week, hit the gym twice and do the necessary yoga to stretch off.

I'll review my plans in a month or so and see how things are going.

Currently Loving

Towards the end of last year I was introduced to Temple Spa, and it is currently my favourite brand of skin care. I bought a couple of little things last year to test the water but at the beginning of February Mum hosted her own party and well some may say I went overboard with my order but honestly I believe it was worth it!

So what are my favourites?

1. Ta-Dah (left): This was actually a birthday present (it wasn't something I would buy for myself but loved it at the party) and I haven't had a chance to try it out yet but its a stunning, slightly scented, sparkling moisturiser. Its perfect for a night out with the girls.

2. Exalt (top centre): This is possibly my favourite recent purchase. It's a neck firming cream - you can never start too early! its so soft and smooth and also leaves your hands feeling moisturised after apply it.

3. Repose (top right): I've had this since last year but it works wonders for me! If you ever struggle to get to sleep give this a try!

4. Purification (bottom right): maybe the name is a clue to this one, its a deep cleansing face mask. Slight warning with this one; after the first couple of uses I had a mini breakout but thats really the mask at work - I use it once a week now.

5. Dual Act (bottom right): its a good cleanser but I have used cheaper products that seem to do the same job.

6. Double truffle (bottom right): this is luxury in a jar! A day and night cream that feels just as luxurious as the description!

Blowing away the cobwebs

I can't believe it has been a month since my last post! That feels like ages ago although the time has flown by. I had so many plans for January activities and blog posts but I got ill with that horrid cough/flu virus thing that seemed to be doing the rounds here. For 2 weeks all I could manage was going to work and sleeping, which wasn't great in so many ways, I felt so lethargic and it had me feeling pretty down, I was so glad to finally bounce out of it.

After 3 weeks of no blogging/gym/swimming a walk along the beach was exactly what I needed to help blow the cobwebs away, it was freezing but totally worth it! its amazing what a little fresh air can do for you.

Hopefully after this month hiatus I am now getting things back up and running on my blog, cause really sometimes it'a the best way for me to get through a tough day. I can't wait to share my recent happy days with you.

Goodbye 2015, Hello 2016

How fast has this year gone? If you blink you'd almost miss it! And they say it only gets faster, how is that even possible. For me it's been my best year in a long time, I really got settled in my job and I'm looking forward to what 2016 will bring to my career, but lets look at the fun stuff.

I'm not one for New years resolutions as I'm terrible at keeping them so instead I have more of a wish list of things I'd like to do; its really just more of 2015 but hopefully better.

2015 at Home

2015 Travel

2015 Activities

2015 Yummy treats

2015 Family & Friends

 Thanks to everyone who made 2015 such a good year, I can't wait for all the fun to come in 2016!

Its Christmas tomorrow!!

Can you believe its Christmas eve already? Usually today is spent really getting into the christmas spirit but I'm currently curled up on the sofa with a blanket and box of tissues, hopefully I'll be feeling better later so I can join in on our usual traditions.

While I'm feeling sorry for myself I thought I'd look back at my recent trip to Bath and the Christmas market to help me feel more christmassy!

We headed to Bath on a very wet and grey Friday; although I've been before I've never been to the royal crescent so we had a good wander around there and the various other cute streets in the area before heading back for the main event.

The Christmas market was spread out quite a bit but I feel this was a good thing as it meant it wasn't too much of a tight squeeze. There were so many different stalls selling everything from bath salts to gorgeous hand made glass bowls.

I wish I'd taken more photos but we spent most of the time trying to stay warm and dry! It was nothing a mulled wine couldn't help to cure though, in fact I could probably do with one right now!

Merry Christmas to you, hope you have a wonderful time. x

How much of Oxford can you see in one day?

The answer: quite a lot apparently!

If you follow me on instagram you'll notice I've done a little more travelling lately; I had some holidays left to take at work this year so decided to make the most of it and head down south. With only 4 days off I wanted to fit in as much as possible and I couldn't think if anyone better to do some exploring with than Frances. We met late morning and quickly mapped out or trail for the day.

We started with Alice's shop, full of cute trinkets, journals and various other mementos from the books. I was a little annoyed at myself for only booking hand luggage on the plane, however that may have been a blessing in disguise as I couldn't take the whole shop home with me.

We headed across the road and through the grounds at Christ Church; it wasn't the nicest of days but it was still beautiful. I was particularly impressed by the trees growing up the side of the building, hugging the windows and climbing as high as they could.

Out the grounds we walked down a cute little street and I may have found my future home...however during this trip I found about 3 so clearly I have to stick in at work if I want them all.

We grabbed a quick bite to eat before continuing our tour at the university church where we caught a choir in rehearsal. They were so good, too bad we wouldn't be around later to hear the real thing.

Next we headed over to the Bodleian Library and the divinity school.

You may recognise these from Harry Potter: it was used as the infirmary and for the dance rehearsal.

With the drizzle refusing to let up we decided to stick to indoor activities and headed over to the museum of Natural History. it was pretty quiet but thats exactly how I like my museums, you don't feel any need to hurry around exhibits, instead you can take all the time you need to admire the displays and the grand building.


With the fading light we took a walk through Jericho and down to one of Frans hidden treasures; this adorable little independent shop, if you didn't know Oxford you'd probably never find it.

They sell various fresh fruit and veg and also have some baked goods for sale: we picked up a couple of salted caramel brownies for a snack later on with a good cup of tea.

It's definitely worth a trip to oxford just for those brownies, they're amazing. I'm already looking forward to my next visit!

It's almost Christmas!

Anyone else feel like this year had just passed too quickly?! It's been a whole year since I moved back to Edinburgh and my its been quite a year, more on that another time I think.

For now its time to start getting excited for christmas, and this weekend was the beginning of the festive season for me. We had our christmas night out on Saturday at Gusto in George Street; I've been before but last night was just fantastic.

Nothing makes you sleep better than some good food and a few drinks and it was just as well as today was set aside for a bit of a winter clean and various christmas activities.
I found my gingerbread people and added a few other christmas touches to my bedroom. Unfortunately I can't take any credit for the tree decoration, I'm convinced I would smash the baubles, so I just sat back and let mum work her magic.

I also seem to be super organised this year as I have almost completely finished my christmas shopping, just a couple of little extras I need to get so I took advantage of my quite day and wrote out all my cards and started wrapping presents.

I am so excited for christmas, its my favourite time of the year!

Girls Weekend

We figured out it had been almost a whole year since we were last together so as you can imagine there was a lot to catch up on! Last weekend was definitely some much needed girl time.

On Saturday night I finished work, rushed home to get changed them headed into Edinburgh to meet Jill and Holly. Rather than go out for a meal we decided to grab a dominos, a couple of bottles of wine and stay in so we could have a proper catch up. Before we knew it, Holly and I had to head to the hotel for a good nights rest before our early start on Sunday Morning.


We stayed at Malmaison in Leith, and I really can't wait to go back! It was really only a bed for the night, but I will be heading back there ASAP to really make the most of what they have to offer.

We had to get up super early for a Sunday so that we could meet Ayoola off the bus at 8am! But the excitement of our day together combined with a coffee made it bearable; this view also helped.

Our plan was to grab breakfast but, thats really hard to do at 8.30 on a Sunday morning so we headed for The Standing Order which is always a good back-up plan, plus we knew there were more exciting things to come. We were out and hit the shops for them opening at 10am.

By the time it got to 12 we decided we needed to stop to re-fuel before making a few more purchases. Hotel Chocolat just happened to be round the corner, we figured it would be rude not to stop in. 

We continued on our tour of the shops, although much to my surprise we managed to resist temptation and pick up some ideas for christmas gifts.

Really We were just passing time and catching up until the main event of the day; afternoon tea at The Dome.

This is how you know its almost Christmas in Edinburgh, the tree and twinkling lights just make you feel so festive.


Of course we opted for afternoon tea with champagne. If its worth doing, then its worth doing properly right?

We were in the Georgian tea room for a couple of hours and it was just the perfect way to end the day and start planning our next trip together.

I can imagine the afternoon tea is great any time of year however, this time of year it really does help you to get in the festive mood so I highly recommend it to all!