Hotel Living :: The Ups & Downs

I think I mentioned in previous posts that O and I used to live in a hotel. Did I? If not, then yes...we lived in a hotel for a whole year. It's a long story, but basically we were relocating to Kent for work and the Mr's company took forever getting his new contract/salary sorted which meant they had to put us up in a hotel until it was all sorted out. Crazy schnizz, I know! So we waved goodbye to Glasgow and squeezed all our belongings into the car and off we drove to Kent. Little did we know that we would become best buddies with all the staff at the Hilton!

Now for me, I was properly excited at the prospect of living it up in a hotel for a couple of weeks (idiot). O, however, had had the pleasure of hotel living previously so wasn't so enthusiastic! Some people I tell think it must be the best thing ever and others think it would be their worst nightmare. Me? I think it was a bit of both.

:: Ups

* Housekeeping! Oh yes, I didn't have to make my own bed, clean the sheets/towels or take the rubbish out for a WHOLE year! 

* Free dinners in the hotel. The Hilton we stayed at had the choice of a buffet dinner (for when you're feeling like a big greedy pie) or a la carte. Which meant we could either stuff our faces or order a £30 steak.

 * A free drink with our meal. Which meant I could order a coke, a beer, a £13 glass of wine or some champers...entirely free as a bird!

* Breakfast. Again, full buffet breakfast or made to order. They had a WAFFLE IRON!!!

* A super comfy king size bed and as many pillows as we liked! Says it all really.

* Free use of the gym, sauna, steam room, jacuzzi and pool.

* Our Hilton points card. We racked up hundreds of points which paid for a week in Brussels, many weekends in London and a few stays in the presidential suite in the Manchester Beaton Tower Hilton :) Sadly, we've used up all our points now, but we still get some Diamond member perks and discounts!

* Two free bottles of wine every week when we checked in.

* Free room service. Ain't nothing better than ordering your dinner and then sitting on the bed scoffing it. Oh and not having to do the dishes afterwards.

* Free Costa coffee. This Hilton had a little Costa inside, so every morning before work they would give me a free one for journey!

* Getting to test the Christmas menu in October. SO MUCH STUFFING!

* Being able to save (spend) all our money because we didn't have any bills!

:: Downs

* Housekeeping. Knocking on the door at 7am on your day off even when you have the do not disturb sign on the door.

* Living in the one room for a whole year. Ergo, no escaping your fiancé when he's pissed you off and you want to punch him in the face. The bathroom or the hotel bar becomes your friend!

* Living out of suitcases. We had to check in and out every single Sunday, which usually meant changing rooms. We became pro's at speed packing.

* Buffet dinners + breakfasts = rapid weight gain!

* Not being able to make some toast or a snack when you come home from work. 

* Having to face a whole hotel worth of people at every meal. No wearing your PJ's to breakies then, Lou!

* Having to eat Christmas dinner every single night in December. Turkey gets very old, very quickly...let me tell ya!

* Getting woken up at silly o'clock with music and revelry from whatever function was going on that evening.

* Not really feeling at home for a whole year. Kinda messes your brain up a little bit.

* Never wanting to stay in a hotel when you go on holiday ever again!

* Stashing your clean underwear in the drawer that always contains the bible! Sorry Jesus.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not ungrateful for a what was essentially a year of free living. But at times it can be soooo tough not having your own space and not having your own stuff around you. It takes a strong relationship to be able to live literally on top of each other for a year and I think it actually made the Mr and I that little bit stronger. It also allowed us to go on many adventures and holidays that we wouldn't have been able to had we had to pay any monthly bills, so I can't complain really. The staff gave us a lovely last meal and lots of free drinks on our last night before moving into our flat in Essex and we really couldn't fault their service and kindness throughout our stay. They always gave us the nicest rooms and lovely little extras at dinner. We really did feel like part of the Hilton family!

Have any of you lovely people lived in hotels? Or even had to use them for work all the time? Do you think you would love it? Or would it be your worst nightmare?

24 Hours {in Glasgow}

Before we get started, let me just warn you that most of the photos in this post are food based. No surprise there really? Glasgow is my home city and it will always be my favourite. I love it when I get the chance to go home and spend a day (or 5) in the city, visiting my old haunts and catching up with old buddies. Recently, I've not had much time on my hands, but when my bestest bud invited me up to stay for a night, I jumped at the chance! Here is the photographic food porn for you to drool over...

My favourite food and beer joint in Glasgow will always be West Brewery. The Templeton building which houses it is one of the most beautiful in Glasgow (we're thinking of having our wedding reception here). The food is amazing and is pretty much based on German cuisine. Oh the sausages....! The beer is in my top five. The West 4 and the Munich Red are such sweet amber nectar! 

I sadly missed all of the Commonwealth Games, but I managed a wee catch up with Clyde ^^ :)

There are so many new burger places popping up all over the city and usually they are jam packed with queues down the street, but we managed to get into Bread Meats Bread. I had the Smokey burger with homemade pastrami and let me tell you, I think it was the best burger I've ever had. Bold statement, I know! We also ordered a side of poutine, it was good, but alas nowhere near as tasty as the Canadian original. I also got a schooner (2/3 of a pint) of their own draft beer which was amazing. Couldn't recommend this place enough!

Now we were a bit sneaky and went outside of Glasgow to our home town to get some of this ice cream. Can you guess the flavour? Can you see the orange?! Yup, Irn Bru and tablet ice cream!! Oh my days! This was so drool-worthy that I'd eat some for breakfast right now!!

 

While we were in town we also popped into a local coffee shop (Chunky Monkey). Look at those bowls of coffee. Mine had fudge syrup in it FYI. As if I hadn't consumed enough sugar, we also had this massive scone and some carrot cake! 

I couldn't think of a better way to spend 24 hours. If you're heading up to Scotland, do me a favour and skip the tourist haven of Edinburgh (or do both) and head to Glasgow for some of the best food, beer, culture, shopping and nightlife you will ever find. 

 

Sunday Morning #5

Well hello there my little lovelies! Here we find ourselves at another Sunday. How did this happen? Was it not just Monday? It's been a mixed bag of emotions this week over at Casa Duffy. There's been lots going on, some things going too fast and some that can't happen quick enough. Some little stressful, nervous moments and some seriously exciting ones too. We move in just over a month and I feel like I need an extra 20 hours in the day. Is this possible? I wish I could bank time and withdraw it when I need it. This would be a week where I'd be waaaaaaaaay into my time overdraft! Anyway, how has your week been? Has it been flying in too? Are you getting time to relish the little things? Here are some of mine lately...

:: buying a new car!!!! Yes, lots of exclamation marks there! Ooops and another. Ok, I'll stop! ;) We finally traded in our trusty little red Skodie (Skoda in normal speak) for a big monster of a Volvo V50. Don't worry if you don't know what this is, I didn't until O started pointing them out on the roads a few weeks ago! The Mr has a penchant for big estate old man cars and this is what we got! Don't get me wrong, the leather heated seats are my new best friend and the fact that I can control my own air con/heating had me sold right away! We're still trying to think of a name for him. We tried on a few Swedish ones but nothing fits so far. Any ideas?

:: finding a new Scottish home - yup, so this weekend was spent up in Ayrshire in Scotland trying to find us a new little home. We've been finding it pretty tough to move from this humongous house to a flat (not many houses going in the area we want) and we were all set to throw the towel in when we discovered a little bungalow in Ayr. I know what you're thinking, a Volvo and a bungalow? Yes, we're turned 60 overnight! But it's the cutest little thing! Two bedrooms, front and back gardens and a HUGE shed for O. Cross your fingers and toes for us, won't you?

:: seeing my little mutt again! A trip home always means I get to see my little Border Collie Lucy again. Oh and my family too of course! But there's nothing sweeter than the unconditional love of your puppy :)

:: getting ready for Autumn/Winter - I know, don't shout at me! I realised the other day that I didn't have any proper jackets, so I went on a little online shopping spree and now I have three...oops!

:: US Netflix - I finally found out how to get all the juicy US shows! This whole week has been filled up with season one of Once Upon A Time, I'm properly addicted! Does anyone else watch it?

:: visiting a curry house that O had been raving on about for years. We took ourselves out for a treat on Friday evening after a very stressful day of house hunting. Oh lordy. The naan breads were pretty much the full size of the table. Mmm...I'm having peshwari naan flash backs!

:: M&S raspberry lemonade...have you tried it? It's like a little flash of summer in a bottle. 

:: Antipasti - oh I can't understand why I've only just discovered this? It's my most favourite food at the moment. Cured meats, cheese and of course some lovely crusty bread. Yum!

:: Last, but certainly not least...Seche Vite fast dry top coat! Again, a little late to the party with this one, but it has seriously changed my nails. I painted them on Thursday morning (Essie Bahama Mama in case you were wondering) and they are still chip free today. This is a complete miracle for me, as they usually start chipping later that day. I might do a whole post on this at some point, but for now all you need to know is...buy it!

So my bestests, how have your weeks been going down? I want to know all the juicy details! Leave me a little comment below or even tweet me @weezyduffy using the #SundayMornings hashtag :)

 

Some News + Robin Hood's Bay

Hello my lovely people! First of all, apologies for the lack of posts this week. Things have been a little crazy over at Casa Lou lately, which brings me to the main reason for this post. I have some news for you lovelies! After seven awesome months living in the North East, the Mr and I are moving again to pastures new. My very clever Mr has been offered a fancy new job in the west coast of Scotland!! So, next month we shall be packing up our ever growing collection of furniture and moving it up to Scotland for one last time. 

Let me just say that I have ADORED living in the North East. The people I have met, the friends I have made (mainly through this blog) and the scenery have made my heart sing. It is with a very heavy heart and some serious toing and froing that we pack up our things and head for the (my) homeland. We've moved around a lot over the last few years, but this move should see us settle down for a good long while and I am super exciting for some stability in our lives. This weekend we are off up to Scotland to try and find somewhere to live. We're hoping to find somewhere right on the coast, which would the icing on he cake. It has proven a little stressful finding and booking viewings, which you may have seen from my rantings on twitter! But we have a few secured, so wish us luck! I shall report back next week. 

In other news, just to make our lives a litte more crazy, the Mr decided he wanted to buy a new car. So last night, off we went and bought one...if you know Oscar, you'll understand his love for big, old man cars. Needless to say, we bought a big Volvo V50 estate (I think??), which he is very happy with and we pick it up on Saturday evening. I am mostly excited for the heated seats which we will no doubt need living on the west coast of Scotland! 

OK, enough about me for today. Let me tell you about the other reason for this post today. On Sunday the Mr and I went on an adventure. We used to do this all the time, but lately things like work etc have got in the way. He wouldn't tell me where we were off to and after a drive through the gorgeously atmospheric North York Moors, we arrived at our destination...Robin Hood's Bay. Oh my goodness. There's a section of the road about 5 minutes before you get there when you come over the crest of a hill and see the bay rolling out in front of you. Most beautiful sight I've seen in a long time. For any of the outdoorsy types out there you'll probably have heard of this little gem as it's the final stop of the Coast to Coast walk where you get to dip your tired feet in the North Sea and what a way to finish it! 

We parked our car at the top of a very steep hill and then wandered down the windy, narrow streets until we reached the beach at the bottom. There are so many lovely little shops, restaurants and bars in this little fishing town that made me feel like I was on holiday. After some serious photo taking, we descended upon the Bay Hotel looking right on the beach for some well earned fish and chips and a big pint of beer! Don't worry, the walk back up the hill definitely burnt off all those calories! Now I'm going to stop rambling on and let the photos, which were mostly taken by my lovely Mr, do the talking. Just be warned though, there are lots (mainly of the super moon) and I hope this post is not too long!!

Sunday Mornings #4

Can you believe it's September already? It seems like just moments ago that summer was starting to appear. Now, I'm not going to ramble on about my love for Autumn (big love) again, you've heard enough of that lately! But doesn't it feel like the days are getting shorter though? I swear it's getting darker earlier already. I've been switching the lights on earlier for sure this week. My week has been a pretty quiet one, but full of lovely moments none-the-less...

:: morning smoothies - I've been loving these this week. We struggle to eat all our fruit up (naughty), so I've been slinging it all in the blender in the mornings and wizzing up a tasty smoothie.

:: my new Nespresso milk frother - oh how I've missed frothy coffees in this house! When our lovely postie delivered this on Thursday, I was delighted. It's so fast and sooo quiet. It was definitely worth investing in.

:: meeting up with Danni for cake - well, this actually turned into lunch, cake and coffee! We went to the Mockingbird Deli (you can read about this here) in Yarm on Saturday. I love this little nook. The chicken, goat's cheese and mango focaccia I had was dreamy and the carrot cake was so light and fluffy. I love being able to have proper blogging chats with a fellow blogger!

:: Boden - oh Boden! Why do you keep sending me discount codes!? You know I can't resist them! A few weeks ago I bought a lovely breton tee and yesterday I might've treated myself to a rainy day mac. SO naughty. But you know, I'm going to need something to save me in all these rain showers...

:: nothing-ness - this week has just been a seriously stay in your PJ's kinda week. Basically, everyday has been like a Sunday for me! I think I've only been out the house three times in total. Which, usually I would hate, but this week I've been loving it. I've had some lengthy Netflix marathons (have you seen Freedom Writers? I cried!!), vlog catch ups and just generally getting the house in order. 

:: the Body Shop - yet another discount temptation! This week they had 40% off, so needless to say, I placed another order. However, I was sneaky and ordered some stuff for the Mr, so it looks like I did it for him!

:: Bake Off - oh Norman! I was so sad when he got kicked off! He was one of my faves! He was hilarious on the Bake Off extra bits show too. I don't think he even knows that he's being funny either, which is the best part. We ate pies for dinner that night. You're being a very bad influence on me, Bake Off!

How have your weeks been lovelies? What adventures have you been on? Mine has been a slow one, so I'm living vicariously through you! Remember you can tweet me @weezyduffy or leave me your tales in the comments below...

Scandi Roadtrip!!

If you follow me on any social media sites, you won't have been able to escape me rambling on about the road trip that the Mr and I are planning! That's right, in March next year, we're off to Scandinavia! I can't even tell you how excited I am! We've been planning this trip for what seems like forever and I think we've finally got our itinerary nailed down. Here's what it looks like at the moment...

:: Ferry to France and driving straight to Denmark via the Netherlands and Germany to name but a few. 

:: Copenhagen

:: Stockholm

:: Oslo

:: Skagen

:: Aarhus

:: Amsterdam

These are just the main cities that we're visiting, we're going to be in each area for a few days and then visit other areas nearby. We also really want to go to Bergen, but it's a very long drive from Oslo...you never know. It's extremely likely that this route will change completely once we have delved into the guide books, so watch this space! 

We've booked some parts of the journey and at the moment we're right in the middle of stalking the Airbnb website trying to find lovely places to stay. God bless you, Airbnb!! 

Have you been to any the Scandi countries? I'd love to hear your stories and any recommendations you might have. Fill me in with your adventures!! :)

Autumn Spends!

So, I've been feeling a little spendy lately, much to O's delight! I thought I'd give you a little snapshot of what's been floating my boat this lovely Autumn day. 

Tartan scarf :: is a tartan scarf too much Scottish on a Scottish person? I do wonder about this! I've been coveting everything tartan lately and I'm blaming Autumn for sneaking up behind us. This lovely scarf is from Abercrombie & Fitch and it was a complete bargain on eBay. Oh eBay, why are you so addictive?

Boden breton :: you can't beat a classic breton in my eyes. My wardrobe is full of stripes and this lovely is a happy addition. I've been checking out the other colours lately too, this won't be the end of my Boden love affair.

Autumn nails :: I know what you're going to say, more nail polishes Louise? I just can't help myself! Barry M released six different Autumn colours, but I managed to reign myself in and narrowed it down to these three beauties. I absolutely LOVE the names, from right to left: chilli, mustard and cardamom. The only one I haven't tried yet is the mustard, which I think is going to be my favourite. Can't beat a mustard yellow.

Have you been getting spendy? Is Autumn influencing your purchases at the moment? You know I'd love to know what you've been buying, let me know in the comments below or even on Twitter, I'm @weezyduffy.