The Scottish Tag

I saw this tag on Hayley's blog and thought it would be great to give it a go. I like to do these tag type posts occasionally as it gives me a little writing prompt. I think it started off as a YouTube tag but has made it's way onto the Scottish blogisphere. I'm not going to tag anyone in particular, but feel free to link me to your blog if you do it as I'd love to read some others, and please have a look at Hayley's answers over on her blog Water Painted Dreams. 

Whereabouts in Scotland are you from?

I'm from a little village in The Scottish Borders, just outside of a town called Kelso. We moved there when I was about 3 years old from Gullane on the East coast, and I lived there until I was 21, so that village will always be 'home'! For anyone who doesn't know, The Scottish Borders is an area in the South East of Scotland on the border with England, about an hour South of Edinburgh.

Where is your favourite place that you've been to in Scotland?

Now that I come to think about it, I'm actually quite poorly travelled within Scotland. I've visited most of the cities for gigs, uni open days and to stay with friends, and we did holiday a few times in Scotland when I was younger but I think there's still so much of my own country that I haven't seen. Can I say Edinburgh? I live here now, but I think wherever I live or travel it will definitely remain my favourite place in Scotland. 

Where would you like to visit in Scotland?

I'm not even sure of exact place names and locations, I just know that there are some beautiful places up North that I'd love to see. I've not really been too far North at all so that's definitely somewhere that I'd like to spend more time. Some of the islands off the North West coast would be nice to visit, I've heard great things about Tiree and it looks so beautiful. 

What is your favourite Scottish film?

I think it might have to be 'Sunshine on Leith'. I'm a sucker for a cheesy romantic musical (probably my favourite kind of films all rolled into one!), especially one that's full of Proclaimer's songs and set in my hometown! And I have to admit I actually haven't seen A LOT of popular films including Scottish classics like 'Braveheart' or 'Trainspotting'. I definitely need to change that very soon. But I do recommend 'Sunshine on Leith' if you haven't seen it.

What is your favourite Scottish food?

The obvious answer is haggis I suppose! I do love it though, proper haggis from a restaurant...or battered haggis from the chippy! I am yet, in my 25 years in Scotland, to try a battered Mars bar but I do love haggis or black pudding and chips! Why are none of the traditional Scottish foods very healthy?!

Do you follow any Scottish traditions?

The same as Hayley, I've just had to Google 'Scottish Traditions'! I suppose something that's traditionally Scottish, and something that I absolutely love, are ceilidhs. Growing up in Scotland, we were taught the popular Scottish dances from primary school onwards, and always had a school dance with a ceilidh band at Christmas. For me, growing up in a small village also meant that there were regular ceilidh dances in the local village hall as celebrations or fundraisers. Let's just say I was never short of a chance to 'strip the willow'!!  

What is your favourite Scottish word?

I think it would probably have to be 'wee' (meaning small!). I definitely use that as part of my day to day vocabulary without even realising I'm doing it. I remember having a discussion with someone about whether you should use slang words like that in a formal situation like a job interview, and to be completely honest I'm not sure I'd be able to switch it off.

What is your favourite Scottish song?

That's a tricky one to narrow down, so I might need to pick a few. I do actually spend a lot of time listening to traditional Scottish songs from the likes of Capercaillie, Julie Fowlis, Karine Polwart, Emily Smith and Breabach. Folk music is definitely one of my favourite genres and, as I may not even understand the lyrics, I love a lot of Gaelic songs. 

I like the familiarity of songs that mention places that I know of, so a few of my favourites are 'Salter's Road' by Karine Polwart and 'Both Sides the Tweed' by Dick Gaughin (as I feel I kind of grew up on both sides of the river Tweed!). I will also always have a soft spot for 'Coisich a Ruin' by Capercaillie. I've liked this song since I was wee, when I remember my mum and dad listening to it in the house. 

Can you recommend any Scottish bloggers?

Oh yes! Hundreds! A few of my favourites would be; Water Painted Dreams, The Likely Lady, Elevator Musik, Frankly Ms Shankly, Love from Lou Lou, The Little Things, Indigo Buttons, Ruby Ruby Slippers, A Little Bit Young, Inferior Design, What Abby Loves, Allsorts and Anecdotes, Wardrobe Conversations, Brass Buttons and Confidence...and many many more!

Brighton Photo Diary

Last Thursday my mum and I drove down to Brighton to spend a long weekend with my sister, who is studying at the uni there for a month. I wasn't very sure what to expect of Brighton at all, I knew it was a seaside town, and I'd heard of Brighton Pier, but I didn't really know much more. Due to that, I was majorly impressed! Yes, it's a typical seaside town but it's also so so much more, and definitely my kind of place. I used to think Edinburgh was great for little independent shops, cafes and bars, and I feel a bit like I'm cheating on Edinburgh by saying this, but Brighton is amazing for that. Maybe the weather contributed to the atmosphere a bit. The first few days were so sunny and hot; the streets were completely filled with outdoor seating from bars and cafes and lined with market stalls. There was a very music festival atmosphere going on...and I loved it! Brighton is probably one of the quirkiest places I've visited in Britain.

We spent most of the weekend just walking around and discovering the city. We ate out a lot in some lovely places, deliberately avoiding any chain restaurants as to try lots of the independent ones around. My sister had read a Buzzfeed article about the best places to eat in Brighton so we ticked a few of the recommended places off the list. We walked along the seafront and drank Pimms at a bar on the beach, we played the 2p machines at the arcades on the pier, we walked around the Brighton Pavilion, we shopped around all the little boutique shops and when the weather turned a bit rainy, we took shelter in plenty of coffee shops and then went to see the Amy Winehouse film at the cinema. All in all, it was such a great weekend away.

I would definitely recommend Brighton as a place to visit if you're looking for somewhere to go, and I'm sure I'll end up back there one day. But for just now, here's some of the photos I took last weekend to give you a little taste of the place!

Thanks to the lovely Lauren at Belle Du Brighton for the recommendations of things to do in Brighton! :)

Life

Sometimes life just gets in the way! That's the only thing I can really say right now about my accidental break from blogging. I knew that I had neglected my little space on the web for a while but I never realised that it has been since April!! I know that I will probably always be a bit of an occasional blogger and I'll never be able to keep up with regular posts. I understand that it's a bit annoying for anyone who is following, and I'd like to thank all you readers who do come back again and again, after all my little breaks between posts.

So what have I been up to? The main thing that's happened since I last posted is that I've moved flats. It was all decided and arranged pretty quickly and so the process of packing up my room (I own so so much stuff!) and cleaning our old flat, in amongst some pretty busy times at work, was a bit stressful. After an exhausting day of taking all my stuff down three flights of stairs in Leith and then up another two flights here, with the help of my mum and dad, I was finally moved in to my new flat in Stockbridge. I had always dreamt of living in this area of town and so I was very lucky to find a room in a lovely flatshare, and even luckier to be picked to take the room over quite a few others! My Timehop from 1 year ago the other day showed a tweet where I'd said I wished I lived here...and now I do! I've not had too much time to explore the area since I've lived here, there are still so many cafés and bars that I'm planning to try and I need to take a walk down to the Stockbridge market the next time I have a Sunday off work.

Image from StockbridgeEdinburgh.com

Since moving my life seems to have stayed pretty hectic, not that I'm complaining at all. I went to my boyfriends graduation ball (you know what an effort finding the right outfit is right?), I've been on holiday to Malaga with my best girlfriends, work has been keeping me very very busy and then a few weeks ago I had a little spa break at Crieff Hydro which was much needed to say the least.

My boyfriend is now away on the holiday of a lifetime, travelling across America for a month...jealous much?! He asked me what I thought he should do in New York and all I could think of was to go and see Carrie Bradshaw's apartment!! Well...I know what I'd want to see! His trip is actually one of the reasons that I'm back to blogging. I've got in quite a routine of spending a lot of my spare time with him, which is amazing especially as I tend to have quite long work days, but subconsciously I've not really made much time for myself to do things like blogging or baking or crafting! So my plan whilst he is away to immerse myself in all the stuff that I love doing. 

Hopefully my blog posts will become a bit more regular. I have quite a few ideas in the pipeline, including another post in my 'Pinterest house' feature, a post looking at some of my favourite cafés and bars in Edinburgh and maybe a look back at my holiday in Malaga. Watch this space! I promise I won't keep you waiting as long as last time!

Netflix Tag

I found this tag on perksofbeingami 's blog a few weeks ago and since Netflix takes up so much of my life I thought it would be a great tag to take part in.

What is your favourite series to watch on Netflix?

I've watched quite a few whole series' since I've been subscribed to Netflix. I absolutely loved Gossip Girl, The Good Wife and Orange Is The New Black but my favourite series is definitely Grey's Anatomy.

What are you currently watching on Netflix?

I'm currently watching Pretty Little Liars after hearing so many people rave about it, I'm only on season one and it's getting quite addictive already! I also love going back to series like Friends, Frasier, That 70's Show and The IT Crowd (to name only a few!) when I just need something on in the background or something to fall asleep to.

If you could have any series, old or new put on Netflix, what would it be?
Oooh there are a few! I'd definitely love to have Sex and The City on Netflix, I own the DVD box set but it would be convenient on Netflix to be able to pick random episodes to watch in bed. It's such a feel-good girl power series. I'd also love if Brothers and Sisters was on Netflix, simply so that I could get more people to watch it. It's possibly my favourite TV series ever and it's so underrated that a lot of people I talk to have never even heard of it.

What is your one peeve about Netflix?

I definitely agree with the peeve that Ami wrote in her post, the fact that Netflix doesn't have complete series of certain things. It used to annoy me that they only had the first two seasons of Modern Family. I loved it and I ended up just watching the same two seasons over and over.

What are your essentials for a perfect night in with Netflix?
My bed, pyjamas, a cup of tea and chocolate would literally be my perfect evening! My bf there too would be a bonus!

Recommend one series or film for someone else.
It would have to be Grey's Anatomy if anyone hasn't watched it already. It's on the US version of Netflix...and is completely addictive!


*I should mention that I switch between the US and UK version of Netflix on my iPad, as I realise that some of the shows that I've mentioned here aren't available on the UK one.*

I'm not going to tag any specific bloggers, but if you have done, or do, this tag on your blog then please leave me the link, I'd love to have some new recommendations of things to watch.

Filofax

For anyone who knows me, they'll know how much I appreciate a good bit of stationary. My colleagues at work used to make jokes about me having shares in Paperchase because of my love for pretty notebooks and folders. Honestly, if I had the money, I could easily spend thousands in that shop...maybe I should have shares?

I'd really been wanting a Filofax for ages so at Christmas when my mum asked if I had any idea what I would like, it was at the top of my list. On Christmas morning I actually unwrapped a slightly different one, as my mum hadn't realised the size when she ordered it and it was a bit big. It was important, for me, that it was portable and would fit in my handbag. I swapped it for this one which is the purple leather 'Malden' in the 'Personal' size. It's such a nice, soft leather and I hope that, being able to buy yearly inserts, it will last me a lifetime. I know that most people nowadays use diary's or apps on their phones but I've never really managed to get on board with that. I did try using to-do list apps and the calendar on my phone, but I always ended up going back to a paper diary, I don't think you can really beat it.

I'd been looking at pictures on Pinterest and Instagram of all the amazingly pretty planners, decorated with washi tape, fancy clips and all the other inventive things people have done, and I couldn't wait to put my own touch on mine. I ordered a hole punch from Amazon which is designed for various planners and can be adjusted to fit the 'Personal' size of my Filofax, as I wanted to personalise mine with some postcards and photos. I bought these postcards from Paperchase which I've inserted into my Filofax as dividers between my different sections.

I've split my Filofax into different sections; the diary, my to-do lists (probably the most used section...I love a list!), my budget and finance kind of stuff and I did have a section with meal plans at one point (but that section's not regularly used at all)! I use little coloured dot stickers to signal things like payday, and I've decorated the pages of my holiday from work and birthday's with washi tape. I bought the notepaper with the bunting design (below) from Paperchase, they have a great range of inserts that are designed to fit their planners as well as Filofaxes. 

I know that my Filofax isn't decorated as much as some of the other planners you might see on Pinterest and Instagram (go and look!), however I've only really started to add my own touch and I think there's still lots more that I could use my Filofax for. I feel that it definitely needs some more washi tape soon!!!