L A T E L Y

• I finally finished my living-room (only moved in in April) including the feature wall of quotes that had been residing as a pile of frames on the floor for way too long. Now that I have this room looking exactly the way I want it, it's onto Ava's bedroom. And the massive pink love heart mural she wants painted on her wall!
• Burgers, wraps, chicken wings and loaded fries at Steak, Cattle & Roll after some Sunday afternoon beers (and gins) in Merchant Square. So maybe I'm not outdoorsy every Sunday.
• Amazing roast dinner at The White Elephant. As much as I love cooking my own Sunday roasts, there is something decent about enjoying one in the pub and not having to worry about the washing up.
• The beautiful Carrbridge just north of Aviemore. The oldest stone bridge in the Highlands, I had been desperate to get a snap of it for ages and was made up to finally visit!

• Gorgeous chicken & chorizo bake full of flavour and just in time for Autumn. After years of having a weird phobia about eating two different animals at the same time (don't ask),  I am finally embracing the amazingness of a chicken & chorizo combination. So good!
• Krispy Kremes. Scoffed after a massive pasta dinner on a chilled Friday night.
• Paddling in the icy cold waters of Loch Ness. Ava was most definitely braver than I was and I had to drag her out before her feet turned blue!
• Fry ups will forever be my biggest weekend indulgence. And this one enjoyed at Chelsea Market in the west end seriously hit the spot.

• Beautiful beach scenes on a recent day trip to Burntisland
• Spice mix used to make this Red Lentil Masala with Spinach recipe by Naturallyella.
• Delicious salted caramel brownie with tablet ice-cream from the Boyd Roderick. So good but so, so bad.
• A Saturday afternoon spent exploring Gilmerton Coves, a series of secret hand carved passages and chambers that lie below the ground on the suburbs of Edinburgh. No one really knows how they got there and they are a must see for anyone visiting the area.

• Curry and beer Fridays. Is there any other way to do a Friday?
• Experimenting with some Middle Eastern cooking with spiced chicken, tahini & yoghurt flatbreads.
• Beautiful bright blooms to cheer up a very wet Sunday afternoon. I picked these up after a day spent exploring the east coast.
• I've taken to cooking a roast chicken once a week because it goes so far. Between Sunday lunch, leftover meat for during the week lunches and then bone stock for making soup, buying your chickens whole is definitely worth the money!

• I had a fantastic night when I joined lots of other like minded mamas for the Scottish Mothers Collective #VExSMC event in association with Very Exclusive UK. We drank fizz and Parma Violet cocktails, nibbled on the some seriously delicious canapés and discussed all things fashion. The goodie bag was pretty awesome to boot!
• Definitely thinking that starting a gin collection is the most adult thing I've done to date. I'm onto my tenth bottle now and am even managing not to drink them quicker than I buy them.
• Ava's current book of choice. Every single night. But I don't mind because I adore reading it to her. If you have small children but none of the Dr Seuss collection then I insist you remedy that immediately.
• Watching the Millport ferry shuttle back and forth whilst skipping stones on the beach in Largs and discussing the difference between vegetarianism and Christianity. I really wish she didn't have to grow up.