L A T E L Y

• It is completely acceptable to basically be working your way through the menu at your local burger joint? Like sometimes I don't even order what I actually want because it's not next on the list. That's normal, right? Right?
• That girl of mine sure does love the camera. And spending time with her adoring aunties. I snapped this pic at a recent lunch at The McMillan with my sister. I sure do love those faces.
• Not a usual fan of chain restaurants, but I cannot get enough of Carluccio's. I recently visited with Ava and her Dad for a spot of lunch and despite ordering a salad, pretty much ate most of Ava's spaghetti.
• Delicious coffee, incredible cake and the loveliest of catch ups with my good pal Kirsty recently at The Glad Cafe in Shawlands.

• Salads, salads, salads. Because if you are going to insist on dining out as often as I have this year, something has to give. And I don't want it to be my skinny jeans.
• Speaking of salads, I used some leftover fillet steak I had and a jar of the best Salsa Verde I have ever tasted (courtesy of Ava's dad), to create that beaut looking steak salad up there one night for dinner. Still thinking about it.
• I trialled out these Regime Coconut Quench capsules for thirty days in the hope it would make me look 21 again. I still don't look 21.
• My car went into the garage for a couple of days which gave me the opportunity to work out how the hell I would ever get to work through the medium of public transport. Train life is surprisingly easy. Subway coffee is surprisingly disgusting.

• Espresso Martinis with the gorgeous Charlene. No matter where we go or what we do, we always end up at Las Iguanus. Dem Caipirinha's though...
• An amazing dish of smoked kippers with Hollandaise and a poached egg at The Granary in Leith recently.
• Wearing flowers in my hair and basically nicking all of Ava's accessories these days because what do you mean I don't look 21?
• Delicious little feast at Topolo Bamba. Worth a visit for those fish tacos alone.

• Pancakes, pancakes, pancakes. Ava never deviates from her favourite breakfast & why would you when you can eat pancakes with bacon, Nutella & sprinkles of a morning? Don't knock it till you've tried it...
• Beer, beer, beer. Loved this little beer tasting board from Brew Dog a few weeks ago. And I even managed to be within a one mile radius of Tantrum Donuts and not go in. Progress.
• Bed, bed, bed. I am hardly the biggest night owl anyway but I have been making a particular effort to go to bed REALLY (see granny) early recently and I am feeling so much better for it.
• Pizza/pasta split at Firebird. The food? Delicious. The service? Not great. Bad enough to put me off ever going back.

• New Loreal purchases. Their infallible foundation & primer are the stuff dreams are made of. I managed to get through 3 fun days (don't ask) without having to touch my make-up up once. 
• Sunday roast cooking for pals. We ate beef, drank Prosecco and talked about slut dropping. Standard Sunday.
• Fizz at Tabac with a dear friend. I'm always on the go and always making plans and there's certain people in my life that I don't get to catch up with as often as I would like. But the good friends are the ones you can go months without seeing then spend the evening chatting like you only saw each other yesterday. Those are the friendships that stick.
• My little pirate all dressed up for her buddy's Pirate themed birthday party. Talk about 'getting into character' though. Ava spent the hour pre-party walking around the flat shouting 'oooh arrr' and threatening to make me 'walk the plank'. Funniest/cutest thing ever.

• Heels & gin. My two secret weapons. Yours?
• Hyperactive children doing some hotel type bed bouncing on a recent road trip to Perth. Come on, we've all done it.
• Prosecco drinking on a boat bound for Bute a couple of weeks ago. The 'going' is always so exciting and fun. Although the 'coming home' was filled with lots of belly laughs as well.
• A recent Friday night dinner with Ava courtesy of Catch fish and chips. This is my second attempt at liking Catch and I'm still not on board. It just never hits the spot like the cheap chippy down the road from me. They say you can't buy class...