Sunday Mornings #30

I suppose this post should technically be called 'Sunday Afternoons' since I'm typing it at 5pm, but I'm sure you'll let me off with a little late one, won't you?

It feels like forever since I did one of these posts. Five months to be exact! I can't believe it's been so long. So I think we should use this to have a little November catch up. (Can you believe November is almost over? How did that happen??). 

It's been over a month since we moved to Norwich now and it actually feels like we've been here much longer. The house is finally coming together, we have some new furniture arriving in a few weeks and I'm slowly trying to persuade Oscar to let me put some Christmas decorations up. I've managed to start burning some Christmas candles without him noticing, so you never know...

We're making a conscious effort to start exploring our new surroundings a little more. On Monday we went to Horsey Beach to see the little seal pups and oh my goodness, I think it was the most amazing thing I've ever seen. I kind of expected just to be able to see the seals off in the distance, but they're actually right there on the beach in front you. There were hundreds of them. We took some photos, so hopefully I'll get a post up about it soon. But if you're in the Norfolk area, it's seriously something to tick off the bucket list. We've also hit up some of the shops in Norwich city centre too, of course. I'm a fan! :)

Last week we got a little crafty and decided to make our own candles. I thought it would be a real faff, but honestly it was really easy and I was pretty impressed with our finished products. I may be stocking up with some Christmassy scents to make some homemade pressies!

I have been counting the days til advent begins. The lovely Mr bought me a Liberty beauty calendar and I am dying to open it! I've somehow managed not to google what's inside, but I don't know if I'm strong enough to wait until Tuesday to open the first little drawer! 

Both O and I have been eating to much healthier since we moved. I've been meal planning like a fiend and we're trying to stay on the healthy wagon until Christmas eve. I even bought a spiraliser from Lakeland...what has become of me? I'm trying to persuade O that we should invest in an ActiFry, but I'm not sure he's convinced. Do any of you lovely people have one? Would you recommend it? 

Oh one last thing, lets talk about what TV you've been watching. I need some recommendations! I just finished Jessica Jones (brilliant), and about half way through Newsroom (amazing - West Wing fans will love it!). Oh and can we talk about how happy I am about Luther coming back? Far too excited!

Sunday dinner is now calling me, so I'll sign off for now. Let me know how your life has been lately, I've missed you all! Hopefully it won't be five months until my next post! 

Sunday Mornings #29

Hello pals! How the heck are you? I know I've been a naughty wayward blogger...my apologies! Life has just been so busy at the moment and to be honest, I just haven't felt like blogging. After my post the other day, you'll be glad to know that I finally had a decent night's sleep last night...a whole 11 hours! I think the two beers I had helped...So I'm feeling much more human this morning. Anyway, enough rambling from me. Let's catch up, shall we?

:: As you know, Oscar is away in Norfolk for work every two weeks at the moment. I'm not going to lie, I find it really difficult when he's away. When he's back we try to fit everything into that week, which makes it fly in...boo! Last week we had such a brilliant one. O surprised me with a little hotel stay in Glasgow, so we indulged in a lot of beer, food and cocktails. It was the schnizz! The morning after this we drove to Manchester for the Father's Day weekend. Was so nice to catch up with O's family. I also had the tastiest burrito of my life and of course, far too many Krispy Kremes! 

:: The weather up here has been horrendous this week. We've had one sunny day, so I decided to get the gin out in the garden. No excuse needed really! Yesterday was so lovely and hot and this morning I've woken up to cloud and rain. Joy. 

:: Whilst O has been away I've been getting my chefing on! I've stolen O's Moleskine recipe book and have been jotting down all my fave blogger recipe - this means you Lizzie! (The scrawling handwriting in the photo above is Oscar's by the way!) It's a whole other experience just cooking for one, but means I get to eat whatever I bloomin' well like!

:: Another pro to O being away is that I have unlimited Netflix time! I'm not gonna lie, I've only been watching one show, which is of course...The Good Wife! I was on season 2 when I started on Wednesday and now I'm almost finished season 3...whooops! I little bit in love with Julianna Margulies and of course Alan Cumming is perfect as Eli Gold. 

:: It's my birthday on Thursday, so I have lots of things planned next week. Some dinners and drinks are on the cards, along with some family time. O comes home late on Wednesday evening and he won't tell me what he has planned for my actually birthday. Naughty. 

:: We're going back down to Manchester next weekend to celebrate O's sister's 30th with a family BBQ and hopefully lots of cake. There may be more Krispy Kremes too. 

:: I've persuaded Oscar that Waitrose has to become a fortnightly thing. Especially since I get a free coffee every time we go. He was a bit dubious about this, but once he saw the whisky selection, he was sold! I may have bought him a bottle of Swedish whisky (Mackmyra) to sweeten the deal! Totally worth the 40 minute drive, right??

Well that's all for now my lovelies. Let me know what you've been up to lately! I'm off to do the usual Sunday chores and of course have Netflix on in the background...til next time! :)

Sunday Mornings #28

It's been a while since I did one of these posts, hasn't it? I thought this would serve as another little catch up since things have been fairly quiet at my end recently. Getting back into full-time work after having a gap year is HARD! I've mainly been falling asleep on the sofa at about 9pm...some nights even at 8ish! The job isn't fantastic, but it's only temporary and I have so many things to look forward to once July hits, so I'm sure it will fly in! Here's how my week's been...

:: Coming home to dinners made by O has been lovely this week! He's been getting home first, so has been on dinner duty and I love it! 

:: Buying a new tent. We have a little 3-man tent that we use when we want to pack light and just pitch our tent up anywhere we like, but we decided we wanted a bigger one. Yesterday we headed to Go Outdoors and picked up a nice 4-man one that's tall enough to stand up in and has lots of space. It even has a carpet...who knew! We've decided to make the most of this new purchase and head to the Lake District next weekend! We're both working this bank holiday, but I have a sneaky three day weekend next week. We may also have bought some fancy new camping chairs, a table and of course some camping coffee!!

:: Greek burgers and Oreo milkshakes after a morning at work. Best lunch ever yesterday! Seriously can't get enough of Oreo milkshakes at the moment.

:: I may have gone a bit crazy with Korres shower gels at the moment. I'm just love Korres products. The lemon and basil body milk was my favourite, but I now have four more scents to try, so I shall keep you updated! 

:: Reading before bed. O and I haven't read for months, maybe longer. We've made it our mission to read a few chapters before we go to sleep. I usually only manage a few pages before I nod off, but O has been powering through chapter after chapter. It's such a lovely way to end your day.

:: Planning future holidays. We have so many little trips planned for nearer the end of the year and I can't wait. After cancelling Canada, we need some little breaks. 

Today we're planning on pitching our new tent in the back garden...as I little dry run, you see! If the weather stays dry we might take a drive to Turnberry to check out Donald Trump's golf course and hotel! How have your week's been? I'm seriously behind on the blog reading front, so I'd love to hear about all your adventures :)

Sunday Mornings #27

Hasn't this week been amazing? The weather has been glorious! I've had the back door open all day every day, letting the fresh sunny air fill the house. This post is going up a little later than usual as I just completely forgot to write it this weekend. O and I had a few gins last night and had a serious lay in this morning, so that probably didn't help! Anyway, I digress...here's how my week's been!

:: Early morning beach walks. There's been a few this week. The weather's just been so amazing that I couldn't not go to the beach. I love all the dogs that I meet down there, there's always so so many! I met a little pug on Friday morning who was just the cutest little thing!

:: Adventures with O. Yesterday we went down to the Galloway Forest Park again and had some fun down by the loch. It was pretty freezing, I'm not gonna lie. So we decided to have a slice of cake and a coffee in the little visitor centre. Yum!

:: Presents! O bought me the cutest little enamel jug and notebook from the Lakes last weekend. I can't get enough of enamel things at the moment. Also got some little enamel mugs from Sainsbury's. How many times have I said 'enamel' in this post? Too much?

:: I have become obsessed with the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Yes Netflix, you've got me again! I think I watched 10 episodes in 2 days. Whoops! Have you seen it?

:: O cooking dinner at the weekends. I love this! I get to sit back or be a backseat cook whilst he does all the work! The fact that he always cooks something amazing helps!

:: Weekend breakfasts have also been my jam this week. Saturday was french toast, bacon and maple syrup. Today we made our own version of an Egg McMuffin...yum!

:: Doing things out of my comfort zone. I'm not very good at doing this, but I know that we have to push ourselves sometimes even if all you want to do is crawl back inside your shell. This coming week is going to be all about making myself do things I usually wouldn't...wish me luck!

:: Bagging three Barry M nail polishes for free! Boots had them in a 3 for 2 offer and I used my Boots points to pay for them. Winner!

:: Making life plans with O. We had such a lovely coffee date this weekend and have made so many exciting plans. I can't wait for some of them to start...

So pals, how have your week's been? Have you had a taste of this amazing weather? What adventures have you been having? :)

Sunday Mornings #26

 

Happy Easter!! I hope your Sunday is filled with many many chocolate eggs? I am lucky enough to be spending the weekend at my parent's with a bag of Mini Eggs bigger than my face and a dog who is determined to steal them! Oscar is down in Manchester paintball coaching (don't ask) and catching up with his famjam. Here's what's made my week a lovely one...

 

:: Spending a few days with one of my loveliest friends in St Andrews. We camped out in her parent's caravan, went to the beach, had many a cocktail and ate far too much food. Is there anything better? It was so nice to get away for a few days!

 

:: Being reunited with O after three nights away. Sometimes it's nice to be apart for a few days and then spend the evening on the sofa catching up on our time away.

 

:: Scoffing some early Easter chocolate. We may have shared an egg whilst watching MasterChef one night...ooops!

 

:: Making our own Indian fake-away on Friday night. We're on a spending ban until we go to Canada in June, so we've been cutting out our usual Friday evening takeaways. We made our own version of Chicken Tikka Masala, chapattis and onion bhajis...with lots and lots of mango chutney of course!

 

:: The film Begin Again. It's just popped up on Netflix and I am totally obsessed with the soundtrack. Turns out the main song in the movie is now the Voice single...who knew?!

 

:: MasterChef! O and I are totally obsessed! We usually record all three episodes every week and then watch them in one go. I love John and Greg!

 

:: Spending some time at home with my lovely Mumma. There's something so comforting about sleeping in your old bedroom and having your dinner made for you!! I also plan to pilfer some of her cook books and mugs...shhhh!

 

:: My dog. Oh how I miss her! Today we're slipping on our big walking boots and taking Lucy out into the wilds for a  super L-O-N-G walk to hopefully tire her out before Sunday dinner.

 

:: Finishing products. I'm not sure if this is just me or not, but there's something oddly satisfying about finishing bottles of shower gel or tubs of moisturiser! I normally never finish anything, but my mission to use up all the things I've got is forcing me to squeeze the very last ounce out of everything!

 

What's made your week a lovely one? :)

 

 





Sunday Mornings #25

Well hello there pals! My apologies that my posts have been a little thin on the ground this week :| It's been a busy old one, lots of life admin going on and of course some seriously fun shenanigans. I hope your week's have been grand? Let me fill you in on mine...

:: A lovely afternoon date in the city with my love. We had a few beers and ate an amazing late lunch which consisted of baked Camembert and the best chorizo burger I've had in a long while! I also managed to bag a free venti Maple Macchiato from Starbucks for the train journey home. This is how every Sunday should be!

:: Takeaway pizza. Sometimes you just need pizza. No excuses needed, right?

:: Jamie Oliver's sausage fusilli from his 15 Minute Meals cookbook. It cooks in no time (well...15 minutes actually!) and tastes amazing!

:: Discovering Friday Night Lights is now on Netflix. I may have to watch all five seasons all over again!

:: Finding a few little bargains in the Primark home section. I'm now the proud owner of a new duvet set (you know I bought the new geometric one!), a pineapple candle and two other little mini candles.

:: A breakfast date with my lovely buddy Shivonne. We had breakfast in TriBeCa in the West End (best french toast ever!) and spent the rest of the morning and afternoon shopping with a little juice break thrown in for good measure. Shivonne is my jam! 

:: Heading up to St Andrews this weekend for some R&R with my buddy Machelle. In fact, as you read this, I'll be en route! We haven't seen each other in months, so there will be lots of catch ups and even more wine! :)

:: Spending about an hour in Lush being tempted by all their delish products. I may have even gotten a hand massage or two...

:: Realising that our cacti have made it through the winter in one piece! I'm so surprised that we didn't manage to kill them!

:: Thinking about my sugar intake. I've just bought one of the "I Quit Sugar" books and can't wait to try out some of the recipes. 

:: Hitting my food and exercise goals every single day this week. *High fives*

So my lovelies, it's your turn to fill me in on what's made your week a brilliant one! :)

Sunday Mornings #24

This week I've made a conscious effort to get out of bed early and get stuff done. Housework chores, holiday prep and general life admin have been ticked off my to-do list and it feels great! Hasn't this week flown by? Or maybe because I've kept myself so busy, it's just whizzed right by me! Here's a little catch up of what made my week a lovely one...

:: Getting to the beach twice this week. It's only a 15 minute walk away, so I don't know why I don't go more often, but when I do it seriously makes my soul happy. We've been lucky enough to have amazing weather on the west coast this week, so there's been blue skies galore...it's like a little sneak peak of what summer holds! 

:: Being able to open the kitchen door wide and let all the sunshine and fresh air in our little bungalow. I love cooking with the door open and the radio blasting (sorry neighbours!) and this week I've been doing it every damn day. I've even managed to hang washing out in the garden!

:: I've been playing around with Steller Stories this week and I'm loving it! It's kinda like a cross between blogging and Instagram. I'm 'weezyduffy' if you want to follow along!

:: Brookies. My friend Shivonne has been baking brookies all week and snapchatting me (I'm 'weezyduffy' on Snapchat if you want to add me!) the photos, so eventually I broke and made some of my own again! The mixture makes SO many, so I gave some to my neighbour before O and I scoffed the whole lot!

:: Coming home on Saturday morning after a long walk on the beach with O to find that my April issue of the Simple Things had been delivered! I love magazine subscriptions, especially when I can sit out in the garden reading it!

:: Yoga with Adriene. I can't remember if I mentioned this in a previous post, but I absolutely love her! I've been following her 30 Days of Yoga this month and I'm becoming a little addicted to it! I'm no yogi, but I swear the backs of feet are almost touching the mat now during downward facing dog...!

:: Papa Johns. Yup, a PJ has finally opened up in our town and they keep sending us "large pizzas for £6" vouchers through the door! How are we supposed to not buy one?!

:: Today O and I are heading into Glasgow for a free dinner! Our lovely friend MC had a Living Social voucher that was about to expire and she couldn't use, so she kindly gave it to us! We're heading in early for a little shopping and a few drinks before hand. Can't wait for a little date night!

How has your week been? I hope it's been a lovely one! :)

Sunday Mornings #23

Has your week been a good 'un? Mine has been pretty much food and housework oriented and it's gone by in a flash! The weather up here has been pretty bleak. Lots of wind, rain and hail. Pretty standard for the beginning of Spring in Scotland, really! Ok, enough weather chat, let's have a catch up, shall we?

:: Getting some exercise in! I bought a Jawbone Up24 this week and it's making me much more aware of how much I move...or not as the case may be! This week I've been out running, walking, hitting up some Zumba and a little yoga!

:: Having a girly night with one of my bestests. We had Japanese takeaway, chocolate and in-between all the chatty banter, we watched What If. Best film I've watched in a long while...soul food!

:: Heading up to Loch Lomond for a little lunch date with my Mr. It was the worst weather, but we got all snug inside the loveliest little cafe, ate the thickest lentil soup with crusty bread and then topped it all off with a massive coffee!

:: Wasting afternoons sat on the sofa with a blanket reading issues of The Simple Things and Oh Comely. Procrastination at it's finest!

:: Propercorn! I know I'm a little late to this party, but oh! So damn tasty! So far the salty and sweet variety is my fave!

:: The best porridge I've made ever. Scottish oats, topped with sliced banana, maple syrup and a little dollop of peanut butter. Breakfast of champions!

:: Getting some free money from Nikon! Thanks Nikon, you bought us some camera lens cases, some filters and a spare battery! :)

:: Going for long walks in the woods. So needed this week.

How has your week been? Which little moments have brightened your days? :)

Sunday Mornings #22

This week has been a 'catchy-uppy' one. You know the type, getting housework chores done, general life admin and ticking those things off my to-do list that I've been putting off. I've been waking up early with O all week rather than trying to snooze for another couple of hours and then falling asleep on the sofa at 9pm as a result! So, I was most definitely ready for the weekend to roll around! I hope you've had a lovely week? Here's a little round of mine...

:: Sorting through all the photos from our weekend in Edinburgh! We had such a good time and it was just the little break we needed.

:: Making the most of our Historic Scotland membership! We got into Edinburgh Castle,  Linlithgow Palace and Culzean Castle for free this week...we're getting into this castle storming business!

:: Finishing Wild. I know I've harped on about this book all week, but seriously, read it. You won't be sorry!

:: Going out for a HUGE Indian banquet with two of our buddies. The food in Balbir's is always amazing and you won't be able to eat anything else for days!

:: Visiting some deer in the deer park at Culzean Castle. I think this is the closest I've ever been to these beauties...photos to come!

:: Changing some of our GBPs into Canadian dollars! Once you have those colourful notes in your hands, it seems so much more real. Four months today, FYI!

:: Finally getting to season five of Pretty Little Liars. Seriously though, who the heck is A?! 

:: Finding two bargainous pairs of shoes this week. Remember when I mentioned that I was on a spending ban?! Well, they're both for summer...so an investment buy, surely? My Supergas are on there last legs, so grabbed a pair of new greys ones and some awesome Merrell running shoes. You can never have enough footwear, right? Thought so!

:: Eating pancakes for dinner on Tuesday night. Can we have Shrove Tuesday every week please?

:: Witnessing the first little buds of Spring at Culzean Country Park. Little snowdrops, daffodils and loads of tiny buds on the trees...and then driving into a snow storm on the way home!! What is going on, nature??

:: My new dressing table. I came home from work one night to discover O had built me one! I love it! No more standing up and peering into a mirror, I can now sit very lady like at the my new table :)

How has your week been? I hope it's been a good one? :)

Sunday Mornings #21

Happy Sunday! I hope your week's have been grand? I've spent most of mine failing in the kitchen and hurting myself, no lie! Made two different dinners that didn't turn out at all how they were supposed to and then cut my fingers twice with a chopping knife. Oh and scalded my hand with boiling water. Oscar has now banned me from the kitchen (maybe this was my plan all along?!) and warned me to stay away from sharp objects. Despite all this drama, my week still had some silver linings...

:: Deliciously Ella's cinnamon and paprika sweet potato wedges! Oh my! I'm a huge sweet potato fan, but the magic of adding cinnamon into the mix takes them to a whole new level! Not only did the taste AMAZING, but my whole house smelled divine for the rest of the afternoon. 

:: O ordering some naughty pizza on Wednesday evening, after my attempt at making butternut squash daal failed miserably! 

:: Discovering Meridian crunchy peanut butter on a Monday afternoon! Where has this heavenly PB been all my life?! When I told O how good it was, he then introduced me to a PB & J sandwich...HOLY! Are you sensing that this week has been food themed? Ooops!

:: Oscar surprising me with breakfast in bed this morning! He's a keeper, eh? <3

:: Finding some bargains at an outlet village on Saturday. Got an awesome new Nike yoga mat and some bargainous NB trainers. Also discovered that Scotland has Tiger! I thought they only had stores in England. Such a happy surprise (not for my bank balance...!).

:: Having a classic Saturday evening of a DVD, dinner and wine. I may have fallen asleep on the sofa at 9pm...standard.

:: Getting my reading mojo back. I started Wild by Cheryl Strayed on Thursday and loving it. It's kinda got the Phoebe Smith - Extreme Sleeps vibe. Have you read it?

:: I treated myself to the above ^^ Nuxe lip balm this week and my lips have been high fiving me ever since! It's just so creamy and stays on for hours.

:: More beautiful February skies. This one ^^ we caught on Friday evening on the drive home from Glasgow. It looked like the sun was a beacon in the centre of the sky. Long may these pink evenings continue!

:: I'm advertising on Sarah's blog this month! Go check her out, such beautiful photos and inspiring writing :)

How's this one been for you lovelies? Which little moments have made you happy this week? :)

Sunday Mornings #20

Well haven't I been on a blog posting roll this week?! ;) Somehow I got my mojo back, not sure where it was hiding, but it found me! This week has been a C O L D one, hasn't it? I've found myself looking for tiny signs of spring everywhere I go. On Saturday we even opened the sunroof...cray cray, I know! We've still managed to avoid the snow here, but if you drive half a mile inland, it's snow central. Insane. Here's this week's lovely moments...

:: Cosying up on the sofa like nobody's business. Every damn night (and day) this week. Some days I've even dragged the hot water bottle and the duvet on to the sofa. Not sorry.

:: The Good Wife. A little late to the party, I know! I was waiting in the whole of Friday for an electrician to appear, so I decided to give it a go. I watched eight episodes that day. Not even sorry. I blame Netflix. Each episode just blends into the next and you don't realise how long you've been watching it. I'm loving it FYI. Chris Noth is my jam. Just saying.

:: Looking at huge houses (and estates, ha!) that I want to buy. I want a big fixer-upper, with a door just like that one up there ^^. May have to content myself with our little bungalow for a few years, but then my dream of having a big old house and massive garden for our Newfoundland puppy (dream dog) to bound around in will become a reality, I'm sure of it!

:: Spending hours drooling over new cookbooks. I picked up Deliciously Ella's this week and I want to make every single little thing in it. 

:: Smoked salmon and scrambled eggs on top of sesame seed bagels. The Saturday morning breakfast of champions. 

:: Going to a stargazing night at the Galloway Forest Dark Sky Park on Saturday evening. Snow everywhere, wrapped in about ten different layers, gazing at the stars with a hot cup of soup in my hand. Dreamy.

:: Getting some of the loveliest blog comments I've ever received. You've all been lovely little things this week! <3

:: Getting four pairs of cosy socks for £4.20 in the Accessorize sale. Bargain! 

:: Teapigs liquorice and mint tea. Can't get enough of this lately. It's just the right level of mintyness and sweetness, all rolled into one. 

How have your week's been? :)

Sunday Mornings #19

Firstly, my apologies for not posting last weekend, I was down South at one of my Bestest's wedding, forgive me. This week has been an odd one. I've been to a wedding and a funeral (three more weddings and we'd have a movie on our hands!), so it's been filled with unbelievable highs and then horribly sad lows. But even the lowest lows were spent celebrating someone's life, so not so bad at all, really. Enough about me, how have *your* weeks been? Have you had any snow? Living so close to the coast we've managed to avoid it so far, but still freezing our behinds off! Here's a little catch up on my week...

+ Seeing one of my bestest friends getting married to the love of her life. Ain't much topping that, is there?!

+ Catching up with one of our friends over dinner (haggis!) and whisky and then slip sliding all the way home on the ice! 

+ O's perfect homemade spag bol served with a cold cold beer. Saturday night bliss!

+ Finding the prettiest little serving tray on sale. For £2. What?! 

+ Having an awesome TV week. Pretty Little Liars, Broadchurch, Big Band Theory and the Musketeers!

+ Making it through the week without breaking my leg on the ice/snow. Unlike my brother, who broke his ankle on it earlier this week! He's now sporting a massive plaster cast which goes all the way from his toes to his knee. Ouch!

+ Buying an almost new zoom lens for our DSLR. We're quickly becoming photography geeks and we've now managed to bag three lenses to go along with our new shiny camera. I fear for our bank balance...

+ Making it through another week of 5:2. I'm loving it so much more than I thought I would. I don't even mind the fast days! I may write a post on this soon...

+ Fitness plans. Next week there may be some yoga and a little swimming. Just need to dig out my swimsuit and yoga mat! 

+ Feeling very proud of one of my bestest of friends when she had to be so so strong this week. She blew my mind and I am so happy to have such strong women like her in my life. 

+ Listening to O making plans for an epic summer BBQ. So far he has grand ideas of building his own smoker and rotisserie. Roll on summer!

Posts I've loved recently...

Rosie's droolworthy three ways with hummus || Sarah's awesome photography tips || For some beautifully written heartbreak check out Tania's "Matters of the Heart" and Charlotte's "I want you with all of me". 

OK, your turn now! Hook me up with all your adventures and stories from this week! :)

Sunday Mornings #18

Is is just me or has this week flown by? I'm not sure why, I've not been overly busy or anything but it's been a speedy one. I have to confess to only having just taken down our Christmas tree yesterday. I know I know, but I think I was just trying to hold on to that last little piece of festiveness before it blows away completely. For me, this week has been a chilled out one. No mad rush back to work or throwing myself into anything. I hope your week's been a grand one. Here's what I loved most about this week...

+ Finally organising my make up and toiletries drawer. It was seriously getting out of hand. Thanks to Ikea's awesome storage solutions I can now find things without having a full blown hunt. It also made me realise that I have far too much make up, so I'm now on a spending ban. Yeah, thanks Ikea!

+ Getting the good old job hunt under way and also trying to sort out my CV. I know there's no worse job in my opinion, but at least it's something I can now tick off my list and stop procrastinating. 

+ Feeling the health kick finally kick in. Too many "kick"s in that sentence, I know. I've being doing 5:2 and honestly, I've never felt better. My clothes were starting to feel overly tight thanks to all that Christmas cheese, but after only a week they're more comfortable already. 

+ O surprising me with tickets for Edinburgh Zoo! I cannot wait to see the penguins and the pandas!

+ Being able to stay inside whilst the wind is blowing a gale outside. Friday was spent on the sofa with a duvet and Netflix.

+ Speaking of good old Netflix, someone introduced me to Pretty Little Liars this week and I'm completely hooked! Many hours have been wasted spent watching it this week. Who the heck is A?!

+ Kiehl's Hand Salve is saving my life this week. My hands get so dry in the winter and this is the only moisturiser that leaves them super soft. 

+ Planning our trip to Canada this summer. I'm so excited and am counting the days til June 22nd! It will have been three years since I've been over and that's the longest since I lived there. I'm having serious Tim Horton's withdrawals. 

Before I forget, check out Rosie's inspirational post on New Year's resolutions.  It's definitely resonated with me this week. #IAmEnough.

How has your week been? 

Sunday Mornings #17

My first post of 2015! Happy New Year lovelies, I hope you had an amazing NYE however you chose to spend it. Where the heck did 2014 go? I know everyone has probably said this, but seriously! In 2014 we somehow managed to live in three very different towns/counties (Essex, Middlesbrough and Ayr), how was this even possible? I can't believe that this time last year we were still living in Essex, it feels like a life time ago now. Anyway, my apologies that my posts have been pretty sparse these last few weeks. I have no excuse except that I've been too busy enjoying myself! ;) I have lots of photos to sort through and many adventures to update you on, but for now let's talk about what made this past week a smashing one...

:: Driving up to the snowy Scottish Highlands. This is one of my favourite places to be. If you manage to get up there either nice and early, or just as the sun is going down it's so serene and seriously atmospheric, all at the same time. We took our new camera out for the day and played photographer for a few hours {the above photo was snapped on my iPhone 6 after I put the camera away}. We stopped at Glencoe, which always feels so haunted and deafeningly quiet. On the drive back down we managed to spot some sweet deer, just before the sun was setting. Such lucky ducks. 

:: Early morning beach walks. On Monday we woke up just before the sunrise and snuck off to the beach for a frosty walk. Is there anything more spectacular than watching the sunrise on the beach? Not for me! 

:: Westmoorland Services. Every time we drive down to Manchester, I always make O stop at this particular services. The farm shop here is the best around and is just a stone's throw away from the Lakes, so the scenery is beautiful. The food is amazing. We had pie and mash, of course and then a take away coffee to see us through the rest of our journey.

:: Five Guys. No visit to Manchester is complete without a trip to the Trafford Centre and a sneaky lunch at Five Guys! Oh the fries...and the raspberry Coke!

:: Spending Hogmanay and New Year's Day with O's family. On Hogmanay we ate take out curry, played Trivial Pursuit and drank cocktails and on New Year's Day we ate tex-mex and played an Egyptian themed murder mystery. Turns out O is a murderer. Who knew?

:: O's Grandad has adopted a little rescue cat. She is the cutest little ginger mog you will ever see! I spent most of the time with her sat on my lap, or being bitten by her for no apparent reason. Now I need a furry animal in my life even more!

:: We also hit up TKMaxx in Manchester and I seriously hit the beauty motherload in there! Got so much Una Brennan and Naobay skincare schnizz for such bargainous prices!

:: After our long drive home on Friday I had the best shower of my life. No exaggeration! You know some days, a nice long hot shower just hits the spot? This was my day. It left me toasty, clean and shiny and ready for a day spent on the sofa. Perfection. 

So tell me, how has your 2015 been so far? I have lots of little goals for this year, which I might share eventually. Some are the usual run of the mill get healthy variety and some are a little more personal. Do you have any goals/resolutions for the coming year? 

Sunday Mornings #16 {the festive edition!}

Well hello there! How the heck are you? I hope you've managed to have some wonderful days with those most special in your lives? Are you still munching your way through the Christmas chocolate and cheese? I know I am...the cheese in our house never ends! I've had such a lovely few days, I can't even begin to tell you. Oh wait, isn't that the point of this post? Ok, let me fill you in on what has made my Christmas an especially wonderful one...

:: Driving through the countryside to my parent's house on Christmas eve whilst listening to Heston Blumenthal on Radio 2. An unexpected surprise, let me tell you!

:: Playing a lengthy game of Trivial Pursuit with my parents and O. There was a lot of cheating going on...naughty! My Mum won, by the way!

:: Christmas baking. This year I made Anna's cookies and Lily's brookies. They taste AMAZING, if I do say so myself! 

:: Waking up on Christmas morning to open our presents. I got seriously spoiled this year and I am a very happy wifey! But of course, the best part was seeing O open all of his gifts. Some of them he knew he was getting, but the look on his face when he opening the waffle iron I got him was priceless! 

:: Christmas Day food! This year we ate a breakfast of smoked salmon and cream cheese on bagels and for the main event we had antipasti and turkey with profiteroles to follow. YUM!!! There may have been some prosecco and red wine thrown in there too...oh and some M&S honey roasted cashews!

:: The Doctor Who Christmas special. This is one of my favourite Christmas TV shows. Every year we snuggle up on the sofa with some snacks to watch!

:: Christmas Day board games. We've been building up our board game stash and I think we seriously raised our game this year. O came home with Pandemic and Twilight Struggle. I know, our choices are getting slightly geekier, but have you played Pandemic?! So so addictive! We played about four games of this on Christmas Day. We're still trying to get our heads around the rules of Twilight Struggle, so if any of you guys have any tips, let me know!!

:: New Christmas traditions. This being the third Christmas we've spent together, we've been trying to inject some new Osc-Lou traditions into the holiday. One that we've done three years running now is a Boxing Day walk. Every year we pull on our big cosy boots and coats and go for a huge long walk. The first year we went to a beach in Kent, last year we went to Beachy Head in the South Downs and this year we went to the Galloway Forest Dark Sky Park. It seriously blows away the cobwebs and burns of a little of those Christmas calories. We want to go down one evening to watch the stars, with a big cosy blanket and a little hipflask of whisky!

So my little lovelies, tell me about your Christmas? What did you eat, drink, play? :)

Sunday Mornings #15

Good day, my lovely little Christmas baubles! Yeah, I know. Christmas on the brain right here. How have your week's been? Are you riding that festive wave? To be honest, it's only really starting to hit me properly this week. I've had the Christmas tunes blaring and the tree lights sparkling...you get the gist! Here's what's been making my week a jolly one...

:: Having lunch and a spot of shopping with a lovely friend that I haven't seen in aaaggggeeess! We spent over three hours catching over a steak frites that pretty much blew my mind. Put balsamic onions on top of anything and I'll eat it! 

:: This weekend saw another trip to Whole Foods, this time to start the Christmas food shop! We really didn't get very far...except for a lot of cured meat, cheese and Christmas beer. What else do we need, right?

:: Eating a little better this week. I've been trying out 5:2 for the past week and it's really made a difference. 

:: Having a proper date night with the O on Saturday night. We went to our new favourite Indian restaurant and I even managed to fit in some Scottish tablet ice cream...

:: Listening to BBC radio 4 in the car on the way home in the evening. I used to hate it, but it's really growing on me now.

:: Having a snuggly pj day on Thursday. I literally didn't get out of my pj's the whole day. I may have also dragged the duvet on to the sofa at one point. Mayhap...

:: Lime Doritos and salsa. Enough said.

:: Receiving our first Christmas card of the year...only a week and a half to go!

:: Seeing all the magical Christmas lights and skating rink in George Square during the week. Oh yes, Christmas has seriously smacked me right in the face!

:: Watching Jamie's Cracking Christmas! I've never ever tried goose, but oh my!! If that's not on my Christmas dinner plate this year, I'll be sorely disappointed! 

What's made your week a jolly one? :)

Sunday Mornings #14

Well hello there you lovely people! I'm sorry that I've missed a few of these posts. I've had some seriously busy weekends of late and just haven't had a spare second to blog. But hey, I'm baaaaaaack! This week feels like it's gone by in a flash, doesn't it? Or is that just me? Every intention I've had to have a quiet week at home has completely gone to pot. I've been out every evening bar one. Shame on me! I hope your week has been grand and that your weekend is a right corker! Here's why this week has been a lovely one...

:: Discovering that Whole Foods is only 40 minutes away from my house! We went on our way home on Thursday eve and oh my...! They have some awesome beers on draft that they'll bottle up for you to take home (which we did), I found some bagel chips and a tower of meringues so high that I almost drooled...

:: Listening to Bob Seger on late night drives. Is there anything better? I'm not sure. My fave is Turn the Page, just in case you were wondering.

:: Coming home on Tuesday night to discover O had bought a Christmas tree! We spent the evening listening to Christmas music and putting up the decorations. Starting to get a little festive now!

:: Finding the nicest little pizzeria in Giffnock after Whole Foods. Salami and prosciutto are just the best toppings!

:: Spending the best weekend in Manchester with the lovely O. We had the best time in our little apartment. It's so nice just to have some time to ourselves sometimes. I promise the post about it will be up soon!

:: Seeing all the Christmas presents stack up under the tree. I know Christmas isn't all about the gifts, but I can't wait to see O's face when he opens his!

:: Mulled wine, oh how I love you! I just can't get enough of it.

:: The new navy bobble hat I bought last week. I just wish it would get cold enough to wear it. What's going on Scotland? Where is winter?

:: Planning our Christmas dinner menu. We haven't nailed it yet, but I know there will be a lot of cheese involved. Baked Camembert anyone? 

:: Finding the cutest Christmas wrap in M&S. Check out these penguins...I couldn't resist them!

:: Getting to the cold, pitch black train station on Tuesday morning to discover O had snuck in a little owl hand warmer in my pocket! Best surprise ever!

What's made your week a lovely one? :)

Sunday Mornings #12

Good morning my lovely little campers! My apologies that this post is going out slightly later this morning. I'm not gonna lie, I slept in and it was wonderful! I'll warn you now that this week has mainly centred around food. A whole lotta food. Tasty food, but nonetheless, nothing else has really gone on. I'll live vicariously through you guys this week I think, so of course I want to know about all your little adventures! Let's get going, shall we?

:: Haven't the sunrises been stonking this week? I've been lusting after their pink glory every morning this week from my train. Wishing I could jump off on to the platform to get a semi-decent photo of their wonder. Alas, I've had to settle with little videos through the train window, which inevitably included the reflection of one very shiny man's bald head! Oh well, I'll try again this week...!

:: Getting to catch up with some of my dear friends this week. One night is was over a super thin amazing steak cooked *just* right, along with some seriously salty chips at Jamie's Italian. The other over the most amazing Indian banquet at Balbirs that I've EVER experienced! You can't beat gossiping over some poppadoms dipped in juicy mango chutney!

:: Making Christmas lists! Usually O and I just surprise each other, but this year we actually have specific things we're after. For O it's some new fancy hockey ice skates and for me it's a new DSLR. I have a perfectly functioning one, but it's really heavy to lug around and I always end it leaving it in the house or the car. At the moment I'm torn between the Canon 700D and the NIkon D5300. Do any of you lovely people have any recommendations? 

:: Oh I'd almost forgotten about the beautiful brown leather brogues I bought this week! I've worn out all my old brogues, so the time had come to treat myself to a new pair. I love them so! Super comfy and seriously easy on the eye!

:: Buying Canada guide books and maps. Had the loveliest chat with the man selling me said books in Waterstones this weekend. He was telling me about his Canadian travels and it's made me SO excited to get back there! Only seven months to go!!!

:: Eating healthier. This week has been a tough (but lovely) food week. Lots of dinners out has meant lots of naughty food. Today we're off to the supermarket (hello Sainsbury's home dept!!) to stock up on a lot of fruit and veg. I'm also thinking of trying some quinoa. So if you have any good recipes, hit me up!

:: Lipsticks. I can't remember if I've mentioned this in a previous post, but I'm all about the lipsticks at the moment and the bolder the better! I also bought a lip liner this week (a little first for me), so going to experiment with that too. 

::  I'm seriously loving Kerri's Saturday Blog Spotlight feature over at Crumbs in the Bed. Every single week she's shared a blog that I've absolutely loved (I may be slightly biased here!). I love adding new blogs to my list and Kerri's recommendations are always spot on! Go over and check it out!

What's made you happy this week, pals? Tell me all about your adventures! Remember I'm also on Twitter at @weezyduffy and I do love hearing about  your shenanigans!