L O V E S

1. Atlantic Brasserie. I attended an extremely well thought out & put together bloggers event at Atlantic Brasserie last week & once again the food did not disappoint. We were treated to cocktails (French 75's are forever my favourite), wine & an amazing three course dinner. The scallop & black pudding starter was delicious, the Bouillabaisse one of the nicest I've tasted and the fact that the Creme Brulee is brought to the table flaming obviously blew my tiny mind.
2. Ticking off jobs. So I know it's not the wildest evening ever. But last Saturday, while Ava amused herself in front of Toy Story, I sorted through the massive pile of papers I had been saying I would file for months. I also cleaned my make-up brushes and gutted out all the kitchen cupboards. You know that weird, smug, satisfactory feeling you get when you finally tick stuff off your do list? That feeling is like crack to me.
3. Getting fit again. I have a small confession to make - I haven't done any exercise this year. Like basically none, despite spending a good part of last year running between 35-40 miles per week. But I miss running. I get this weird sort of nostalgia type pang whenever I drive past my old running route or hear one of my running tracks on the radio. So not only do I start running again soon but I am also starting some gym and group sessions with AG Fitness Training as of next month! Wish me luck!
4. Trying new things. Despite being a pretty adventurous eater, I am extremely squeamish at the thought of eating snails. Step in aforementioned blogger event where we were all treated to garlic snails as an entree. I would be lying if I said I loved them. But I did manage to eat two and went home feeling pretty proud of myself.
5. Bath time. I may have mentioned once (or a million) times how much Ava and I love our little rituals. Like our standard Friday night movie, take out and Haribo habit. Recently I've also been jumping into the bath along with Ava of an evening. It's the perfect time to hear all about her day, have some bubble wars (she always wins) and there's no nicer feeling than slipping on your PJ's post bath feeling all squeaky clean and smelling of Matey...
6. Cooking again. I'm happy to report I am well and truly back in the kitchen again! A recent highlight was the Wild Mushroom Soup I made the other day which is literally the nicest mushroom soup I have ever tasted. I found the recipe online and my freezer is currently full of the stuff. I've also been experimenting with all things Moroccan thanks to finding a little jar of amazing Moroccan tagine paste in the back of the cupboard during my little cleaning frenzy last Saturday!
7. Midnight feasts. I don't know about you guys but if I eat my dinner any time before 8pm then you can bet your ass I will be starving come bedtime. As such I have found myself developing a little midnight cereal habit. There's something about standing in the middle of your kitchen at 3am in your pants eating bowls of Rice Krispies while the rest of the world sleeps that just feels so indulgent & fun. I guess I need to get out more.
8. Ava growing up. It probably sounds a bit silly to some but when Ava came running through to me the other day to show me how she was now able to put her own hair into a ponytail, it made my heart want to burst with love. I suppose at 4 masterminding the little things that us adults take for granted is a pretty big deal. And seeing how excited it made her, I couldn't have felt prouder.
9. Friends & beer (or beer with friends). Real friends are the friends who will happily trail half of Glasgow with you on a seriously wet day just so you can try out that new restaurant on the other side of town that everyone is talking about or find the only pub in Glasgow that has your favourite beer on draft. The restaurant was Horn Please and was closed (gutted). We did however make it to The Scaramouche for a pint of my beloved Eilean-Or. Which made me pretty happy.
10. Music. I think I might be the only person left on the planet who still buys CD's. But I can't help it. I love the feel of CD's, I love the sound of CD's and I love the way they look piled into the old wine crate I use as a CD rack. Recent purchases include Bears Den (amazing) and the new Mumford & Son's album. I've made a promise to myself that I will see Mumford live this year. Make sure I keep it!