What we ate last week...

Monday :: Hairy Dieters' chicken cordon bleu

Tuesday :: Hairy Dieters' spanish-style chicken bake

Wednesday :: Hairy Dieters' chilli bowls

Thursday :: Hairy Dieters' lamb kebabs

Friday :: Steak, Deliciously Ella cinnamon sweet potato wedges and patlican

Saturday :: Hairy Dieters' chicken bhuna

What did you eat this week? Can you tell we bought some Hairy Bikers recipe books?! 

Printable Art #2 with eFrame!

Do you remember this post where I declared my obsession with printable art? Well that addiction is still going strong! My only issue is that I'm so indecisive! I've put up at least four feature walls in the last few months and then taken them all down again because I'm not happy with the layout! Luckily the lovely people at eFrame were on hand to help. I'd been looking for some larger A4 sized frames for our sitting room fireplace and eFrame let me choose a few to help spruce up this space. 

The eFrame website is AMAZING! There are so many options to choose from. Not only can you upload the photo/print you want to frame and they will print it and frame it for you, but you can also design your own custom made frame! Now being the indecisive soul that I am, this option was perfect for me, but as we've yet to decide on our colour scheme for the sitting room, I opted for some ready made frames this time. I wanted a bold black frame for our fireplace and this one here is perfect! Of course, being obsessed with everything bronze and copper at the moment, I had to have this beautiful brushed bronze frame. I couldn't fault their service and the frames are so easy to to handle and hang (they come with the accessories for this). I've changed the prints in them twice already and may have just placed an Etsy order for some more...don't judge me! 

**This post was created in collaboration with eFrame. All opinions are my own and I would wholeheartedly use and recommend this service again and again.**

A few photos from our weekend + thoughts on getting outside.

For the first time in a really long time, we had no plans for this weekend just gone. We had nowhere to be, no one to see and nothing to do. If you know O and I, you'll know that we're not great at sitting around and doing nothing...O especially. I can wile away the hours reading a book or watching Netflix, but Oscar always needs to be doing something. So in true W&P style we decided to get outside. 

Now if you live on the west coast of Scotland, you'll know that Saturday was pretty miserable, weather-wise. But we didn't let this stop us! We drove up to a little village right on the banks of Loch Lomond called Luss (points if you know which Scottish TV show was filmed here!). Of course, as soon as we parked the car, the torrential rain began to fall, so we headed to one of my favourite little coffee shops. The Coach House serves the best coffee (banoffee coffee, anyone?) and soup around. They had five soups of the day, for goodness sake! O had said banoffee coffee and I had the Ben Lomond cappuccino. The thick lentil soup and crusty bread was just what we needed to warm us through and prepare us for going outside again. I love the tartan crockery (which you can buy in the little shop) and the waiters even wear kilts. What more can you ask for?! 

We then headed to the opposite side of the loch to meet Mr Tom Weir. Just in case you don't know, Tom Weir was an amazing climber, writer and broadcaster who also presented Weir's Way back in the day. A statue was erected of him last year right on the edge of the loch, beside Conic Hill and we'd been meaning to visit it for months now. 

On Sunday morning we got up early (what's wrong with us?) and went to Lochwinnoch for a little hike. We donned our proper walking boots and packed a little picnic lunch. Of course, the weather had other plans and again it poured from the heavens...needless to say, our lunch was eaten in the car. We met a lovely farmer who pointed us in the direction of some ancient church ruins and we had a little chat with his cows along the way. 

This weekend I also started practising some yoga. If you're a yoga fan, you'll probably have heard of the lovely Adriene of the "Yoga with Adriene" YouTube channel and blog. At the beginning of the year she released the 30 Days of Yoga program and I've been following that this week. Don't be fooled, it starts off gentle but this morning my abs (abs? What abs?!) were screaming at me! This week's been a particularly stressful one for me, so the yoga has definitely helped with keeping calm and mindful. Oh, on that mindful note, I've also been using my Mindfulness Colouring Book to take my mind of things. Yes, I am a child and I love colouring! Just don't look too closely...I'm not so good at keeping inside the lines!

How was your weekend? O and I are huge advocates of getting outside, exploring and blowing the cobwebs away. Even if I've had the worst day and I'm not feeling it, I always come home feeling ten times better. We're trying to increase our fitness levels too, so any excuse to get out into the countryside and walk our asses off has been wholeheartedly accepted this weekend...despite the dreadful weather!

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? :)

Culzean Castle + Country Park

 

Ok, I know what you're thinking...photo overload, right? I did try to split this post into two, but it just didn't flow. So I'm afraid you'll have to be bombarded with almost thirty photos...you're ok with that, huh? Phew! 

Can I just say that Culzean Castle and Country Park is right up there with my most favourite places? Bold statement, I know! The castle wasn't even open (closed til April) and I was blown away by how spectacular this place was. It's been featured in lots of films too (The Queen and Wicker Man to name a few).  We're already planning our next visit in April so we can storm that castle and cover the rest of the grounds/park that we missed. I would love to get married here...can you imagine the photos?!

I can't make up my miind what my favourite part of the day was. The walled gardens are draw-droppingly beautiful. The deer park is amazing, how often can you get this close to these beauties? The cliff top castle looking out over the sea...did I mention that we have all of this on our doorstep? It's only a 30 minute drive from our front door. Scotland, you are a beauty!

Have you been to visit Culzean Castle? If not, it's a must if you're in the area (and even if you're not) and definitely one for the travel list!