September {best of)

The Instagrams

September has been all about beautiful skies, golden light through trees, crisp Autumn leaves, adventures and chilled tasty beer.

On Screen

Films :: Pride is by far the best film I've seen this month...actually it's the best film I've seen all year. If you've yet to watch it, get yourself down to the cinema, quick smart!

TV :: I've been a little obsessed by Once Upon A Time (thanks US Netflix), Bake Off and of course Doctor Who this month.

The Music

There have been a few albums that I've had on repeat this September. Mainly: Royal Blood, Twin Atlantic, George Ezra and Ed Sheeran. I didn't want to like the new Ed Sheeran record, but alas, I have succumbed! 

The Food

We had the most amazing curry back home in Glasgow. The naan bread was bigger than my head! A homemade shepherd's pie that was serious comfort food on a cold autumn day. Pancakes with maple syrup and bacon for breakfast at the Baker Street Kitchen in Middlesbrough. The most amazing bacon, mushroom & tomato quiche from Brockbushes farm shop. I'm sure there was much more than that, but it's all I can think of for now...

The Adventures

September's top travels definitely go to Robin Hood's Bay and Housesteads Roman Fort. Click on the links for some seriously gorgeous beach shots and to get knee deep in history. 

The Blog Love

I've discovered a few new blogs this month that have fast become firm favourites. If you're not already reading these, head over and check them out...you won't regret it!

Owl Girl :: I have a serious girl crush on Candy...
Crumbs in the Bed :: Kerri lives in Belgium and has the best hair ever!
Strolling About :: What Malgosia does with gold paint is amazing! Her blog also makes me homesick for Scotland!

How was your September? What were your favourites and highlights? As always, I want to know about all your adventures!

 

Sunday Mornings #7

I'm typing this post alongside the tastiest red wine I've had in the longest time! You've guessed it, I had to type this one up on Saturday evening...bad Lou! Please forgive my scheduling, but I have had/am still having a very busy weekend, so for once, I'm being organised! 

So here we are, almost another week under our belt. Today I've been mostly freezing, but then again, I was out in the wilds (more on that later). So the lovely wine is heating me up, as is my fleecy housecoat! This week I've been a busy little bee, so there have been lots of things that have put a big smile on my face, here's a few that I'd like to share with you...

:: Surprise dinners out with O. I had a bit of a rubbish start to the week and my lovely Mr surprised me with a romantic dinner out. We haven't had much time together recently, so it was lovely to actually sit across from one another and catch up on our day.

:: Meeting up with my friend Kate. It's not often I get to see Kate as she lives down south, but she was up visiting family this week, so I got to see her lovely face on Thursday. We spent the day in Newcastle wandering around and mainly getting lost. But, hey, that's the fun part some times! We had coffees, ate sushi and sunbathed on deck chairs down by the quayside. The sun was seriously shining on us for once!

:: A grand old day out in Middlesbrough. Me and O were without the car on Friday, so we decided to take ourselves out to MIddlesbrough for the day. We had breakfast at the Baker Street Kitchen which was amazing. We had pancakes and bacon, in case you were wondering. We then went to the cinema to see Pride, which is actually the best film I've seen all year. If you haven't seen it yet, it's a must! After Pride, we headed off to the Purple Pig for a quick spot of lunch before going next door to Sticky Fingers. Sticky Fingers is my new favourite place in the the 'Bro. O went upstairs to browse guitars and other musically minded things, whilst I sat downstairs drinking beer with the barman! The service was brilliant, he let me sample 3 beers before deciding which one I wanted and then set up a tab for the Mr to pay once he came back down...perfect, ha! Looking back, I wish I'd managed to spend some more time in the 'Bro before we leave.

:: A late night road trip to Manchester. We chased the golden hour all the way west on Friday night just for the fun of it. I secretly think O had been having car withdrawals all day! We spent some time with the family and the furry babies before having some dinner and hightailing it back east.

:: On Saturday we decided to visit the Housesteads Roman Fort and Hadrian's Wall. I love some good ruins and this fort was HUGE! Once you park, you walk uphill for about half a mile. When you reach the top there's a museum, the fort and the wall. The fort was amazing. I love actually being able to feel history. The fort was built in AD 124 and I find the fact that I can actually touch something that old incredible. So much better than just walking around a museum or some sort of recreation of it. This was also my first time seeing Hadrian's Wall. We didn't have time to walk on this part, but it's definitely something we'll come back to do. I also kinda loved the fact that I was on the wrong side of the wall...no Roman fort can keep my Scottish self out! HA!

:: Oh and how can I forget Brocksbushes Farm Shop! We stopped off here on the way to the fort and picked up some quiche and some amazing cake. If you're in the area, I would seriously recommend it. Both were absolutely delish!

How has your week been? Tell me about your favourite moments and the little things that have brightened up your day :)

RECIPE :: Banana + Choc Chip Muffins

I'm coming at you with a little mid-week pick me up! If like me, you buy about 40 bananas and then only eat 4 of them, you're left with a big banana bounty just crying out to be fashioned into something tasty! Normally I would just bake some banana bread, but I had no greaseproof paper to line my tin with, so off I went in search of a muffin recipe. 

Of course, Mary Berry never fails to provide me with the perfect recipe! Her recipe was for cupcakes though with chocolate icing (which I didn't have), so I decided that mine would be muffins instead. As usual, I adapted the recipe to suit whatever ingredients I had in the cupboard and here's what I did...(click here to see Mary's proper recipe!)

Ingredients:

100g (4oz) butter, softened (I used flora baking marg)

2 eggs

175g (6oz) caster sugar

225g (8oz) self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

3 tbsp milk

2 very ripe bananas, mashed

50g (2oz) chocolate chips

Method: 

Preheat oven to 180C/160C fan/Gas mark 4. 

Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases .

Again, being a lazy baker, I just slung everything into a blender and then added in the choc chips at the end. Then I spooned the mixture into the muffin cases and baked for about 25 minutes until well risen, golden brown and shrinking away from the cases (Mary's advice). 

As usual, I forgot to take photos whilst I was doing all the prep, so instead, here are some muffin porn photos to make you drool! Enjoy! :)

This recipe is super easy and takes about 45 minutes max all in, including baking time. What have you been baking lately?

Working Abroad // Part 1

I don't think I've ever really spoken about my gap year on here, have I? Well, it wasn't really a proper gap year as I didn't go before university. I finished uni with my psychology degree and then worked for a year to save up all the bucks I needed and then off I went! 

I wanted to move to Canada for years. Half my family immigrated there when I was a little 'un and I pretty much spent every summer there since I was 18. My aunts lived in Kingston, Ontario and my cousin in Ottawa, so I usually divided my time between these two awesome cities. 

I had been perusing the Bunac website for months and one February morning I woke up and just decided to fill in the application form for my visa and see if I got accepted. For those of you who have never heard of Bunac, they do lots of work, volunteer and travel programs like Work Canada Camp America. The application was pretty straight forward, you give them your information (and your monies) and they sort out your visa. If you like they will also sort your flight out so that you are flying with a group of Bunacers heading to the same city. This is what I did, as I though it would be a good way to get to know people before I even landed. 

I originally planned on living in Ottawa so that I would have some family around me, but then that really wouldn't be much of an adventure, would it? So I decided to move to Toronto. A few weeks before I was due to leave, Bunac released all the email addresses of everyone who was on my flight so that we could get to know each other before we left. This was the best thing for me, as before I had even left Scotland I had arranged to share a house with four of my fellow Bunacers! I had arranged to go in the October that year, so I had plenty of time to save up all the money I needed for my adventures. 

I was flying to Toronto from London, so a week before I was due to leave my best bud and I decided to spend the week in London. So I bid farewell to all my family and friends (this was much harder than I imagined) and had an awesome week being a tourist in London. I said London a lot in that sentence, didn't i? When the morning arrived that I was due to fly out I was SOOOOO nervous. My friend dropped me at the airport and I headed off to meet my new house mates. Luckily everyone I met was absolutely lovely and feeling exactly the same! However, I do remember sitting on plane and thinking...I've quit my job, packed up all my belongings and I'm moving across the world to a city I've never been to...on my own!!! What was I thinking?!

Bunac arranged a room in a hostel for our first night's stay in Toronto. So we were all picked up at the airport and dropped off here. After ditching our bags, we headed straight to the pub to plan our adventures for the next year...oh and to find somewhere to live!

...part two coming soon!! 

Sunday Mornings #6

 Good morning my little lovelies! What a week it's been at Casa Lou! Exciting things have been happening, there have been stressful goings on and there have been some epic dinners out! Let's just delve straight in, shall we?

:: We officially have somewhere to live in Scotland! Yes, that we are now proud renters of that little bungalow I mentioned last week. I actually can't wait to move now and to get my hands on that little bungalow charm!

:: Eating out. This week we have been mighty busy. We've been clearing the house out in preparation for packing and had many strangers showing up to view this lovely little spot. I'm not a fan of having people I don't know stomping around in my space (some of them didn't even take their shoes off!), but I know that it's all for the greater good. Anyway, I digress. We've not had much time to sort out food this week, so we've eaten out a few evenings. We went to our favourite pub in the area The Manor House, which is just five minutes away and oh so cosy. It's dimly lit and full of tartan and stag's heads...my kinda place! We can never fault the food and they put on an epic Sunday roast!

:: Autumn cleaning. I decided that I would do a spot of clearing out before we moved. We still have boxes of clothes that haven't been unpacked since we left Essex, so those are getting recycled! I figure the less schnizz we have to move the better!

:: Battenberg cake. Oh how I love this marzipan goodness. It's really the only thing that's been getting me through all the stress and nerves this week. 

:: Scotland. I am a very patriotic Scot and (excluding the Glasgow fights this weekend) I have been very proud of our country and it's people. They stood up, voiced their opinions and they may not have gotten the answer they hoped for, but they've started a whole new future and I look forward to moving back and becoming part of it. <3

:: Once Upon A Time. I know I mentioned this last week, but I am still obsessed with it! When I'm not cleaning or showing people around the house, I can be found glued to my Mac catching up on the happenings of Storybrook. Any other fans out there?

:: Guest posting on Chloe's blog. This was a first for me and I felt very privileged that Chloe asked me to do it! If you haven't read it yet, just click here. 

:: Doctor Who. It seriously stepped up it's game last week! I love Peter Capaldi and it's becoming a little Saturday evening tradition to sit down with our tea on our knees to watch it.

:: Rain! I know this may be controversial, but I LOVE the rain. I think it comes from growing up on the west cost of Scotland. When we lived in Essex both the Mr and I missed the rain so much (he's from rainy Manchester). Living in the North East we get much more rain than the south and I love it. Sitting on the sofa and watching it pouring down through the patio doors...ain't nothing more relaxing!

:: Making lists. It's been a week of list making over in Casa Lou this week. Lists of things we have to sort out before moving, lists of things we need to sort out after moving...you get the idea. It's given me the excuse to actually use some of the stationery stash I've got piled up. I also pilfered a pen from the Mr, a left-handed one at that and it's the nicest writing pen I've had in forever. Thanks, lefties! I know I'm a rightie, but what the heck...

How have your week's been going down, my lovely chums? Are you loving the rain this week? Do you enjoy a good list? Have you eaten out anywhere great lately? As always, I want to hear about the little moments that have made you smile this week :)

I am, I am trying to be, I am not...

Best face I've ever made right there ^^. This post was shamelessly pilfered from the lovely Michelle over at Life Outside London. Go and check out her lovely face, you won't regret it!

I am...

 

:: quick tempered, must be the Scottish in me...

:: getting better in the kitchen

:: pretty funny when I want to be

:: too nice for my own good sometimes

:: a terrible singer

:: excited to be a wifey

I am trying to be...

:: a little more patient (and finding it very hard, sorry O)

:: more creative

:: less of a worrier

:: better at eating healthier

:: a little more horizontal (less stressed, not the dirty kind of horizontal..well ok, that too)

:: more career minded

I am not...

:: that into cats...sorry cat people!

:: rude

:: a door mat

:: as silly as I look

:: good at taking orders

:: adverse to complaining when schnizz ain't right.

OK, your turn! Tell me what you are, what you're trying to be and what you're not... :) 

 

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?