flower-y inspiration...

'A weed is but an unloved flower.' - Ella Wheeler Wilcox

There is nothing as good as a florist who can see the beauty in all kinds of foliage and who will focus on the natural beauty of the blooms. When I say 'nothing as good', this may be an overstatement. But heck, if you can't make huge, sweeping statements on a blog, then when can you?!

Visit Emily Thompson Flowers. If you love fleurs, you'll LOVE this lady and her gorgeous creations xx

pics via Emily Thompson Flowers

warm and cosy...

Ok. I will admit it. I have been caught by a bug and his name is knitting. It just seems so suitable...and warming, to be inside on a cold wintery evening, curled up with a cup of tea (hot chocolate) and some lovely music soothing my soul. Of course when I say Winter I mean Summer, the season which has apparently up and left us in the good company of Autumn, who's good friends thermal and hot water bottle are wanting to come out and play.

Right now I'm still on scarves, but one day, probably after an excessively long bone-chilling Winter (WHY!?), I will master the tea cup cosy! Yes, I have goals and I'm not afraid to share!

xx

image via weheartit

well hello there!

Hello! It is a sad truth that I am back from holidays, and amongst many things I learnt whilst away, the most important is most definitely that holidays are way funner than work. I know, I'm a genius. And while it may not have been the sun drenched, ocean swimming week I was hoping for (Summer has gone, apparently), there were many other delights, both new and old experienced in beautiful St Andrews. And so for you, my top seven (there was going to be ten, but it's quite late and I'm getting sleepy)!

1. As previously mentioned, holidays are a much more enjoyable passing of time than work. Don't worry though, I shall work on a plan to make me a lady of leisure!

2. Park swings are made for children. Therefore, when one's posterior does not fit in said swing, it is most unnecessary to shed tears. Most unnecessary.

3. Wind shields, of which during my lengthy Summer beach days in Australia none were sighted or even heard of, are an absolute necessity and a wonderful invention to be enjoyed on the beaches of Scotland. If it's not sunny and even if it's raining, at least we can shelter from the arctic breeze!

4. Sleep in's are brilliant.

5. Deep fried pizza should never be consumed by a human (or an animal, for that matter). If you're wondering what a deep fried pizza is because you're from Australia and have never heard of such a treat*, it is a pizza, deep fried. Delightful.**

6. A holiday is not a holiday without adventuring through delightful wool shops, discovering knick knacks in pretty old fashioned shops, visiting the big smoke and playing boggle.

7. I can't wait for my next one!

xx

*Sarcasm.

**Sarcasm again.

image via weheartit

off the the seaside...

It is now official my dear readers...I am on holidays for 10 days! Feel free to release any streamers you may have or perform a graceful and muchly appreciated excited dance, for I am now collapsed on the couch with the boy and am so far past exhaustion I can barely utter a murmer of joy. BUT! Be sure, my lovelies, that on the inside, I am dancing like a mad woman!

What is on the agenda, you ask? Excellent question! And I shall tell you! We are off to the delightful seaside town of St Andrews! Our very well structured and thought through plans include eating icecream, a bbq at the beach, some putting on the Old Course, perhaps a leisurely stroll to some nearby little holiday towns, consumption of fish and chips, and, very shamefacedly, finishing our thank you cards. From our wedding. 6 months ago. Now! You may have noticed that many of these plans include food, to which I will say, heck yes they do! It's holiday time! There will also be time for some big city shopping which I am very much looking forward to as dressing for Scotland weather is still quite the conundrum for moi.

And as I am quite the kindly blogger, I shall pop up a picture here of the seaside, to make us all feel as though we're off for a wee break. You can almost taste the salty air!

xx

pic via weheartit

adventure time...

Anthropologie has just opened its beautiful doors in Edinburgh (a few weeks ago now, but the excitement is still hanging in the air!), and I have been twitching with delight as I anticipate my first adventure through the most gorgeous store. Next week, my friends, next week...

All pretties from Anthropologie (not all current)

why hello...

Well my lovely readers, let me first of all apologise for my quietness on the bloggy front of late! Many exciting and cultural experiences have been keeping me on my toes, as well as some battery losing mishaps and an unusual amount of baking. Flour and keyboards do not mix, no siree!

To keep things less like a novel and more like an enjoyable novella (I do not know what this is, apart from it sounding like a much shorter novel), I shall use dot points to get you up to speed! And so without further nonsensical chat from me, here is a wee list of my recent acitivities...

* Berry picking! Oh how my sticky and stained hands delighted in these adventures! Apparently (here comes some history), Blairgowrie used to be the berry central of Europe. Fancy eh?! And so now when foreigners come (like moi!), we embarrass ourselves needlessly by going a bit bonkers over the berries, their size (they are HUGE!) and the sheer volume and cheapiness of them. Berry delight? I think so!

*Jam making! If you're a clever bunny you'll be able to see how the former point and this one link together. I have been delighting in boiling up all manner of soft fruits into delectable treats for anyone who will take them! The boy however, does not enjoy any sort of cooked fruit. Therefore, it's just up to me to finish it off. I won't lie, I am up to the task. To summerise jam making: surprisingly easy, excessively messy, delightfully tasty!

*News of an impending visit from my dear sister and her newest little poppet! This has sent me into a delirium of baby products and cot finding, which may have the neighbours suspicious.

*Trying my hand at the delightfully soothing craft of knitting. What started as a scarf for my 2 year old niece became a scarf for my 30 year old sister and is now looking like it may end up being a blanket. But heck, you can only try eh?

*Receiving not only two truly delightful Real Living magazines in the post BUT the hugest and most delicous H&M catalogue which I devoured cover to cover and which are now sitting proudly on our 'magazine crate' (so called because it is a crate upon which sits magazines)!

*Celebrating Wattle Day whilst enduring looks of pity and scorn from the locals. Anything that resembles sunshine is mine! OH how I miss the sun!

And there it is. Whilst not an exhaustive list (oh no, I did many things and more besides, but then that wouldn't be a novella now, would it?), I feel as though we have caught up, much like old friends. I have some delightful finds from local stores, new ideas and excellent stories of the English language being lost between the Scots and Australians, but I shall save them for another day. I do hope you have a wonderful day today, and wherever you are, please (PLEASE), let there be sunshine!

xx