Five days of Festive Frolics - Part 2.

Days 3+4: Fri/Sat - Tourists in Edinburgh.

Pretty festive lights of Edinburgh Christmas! Yay!

So Wednesday and Thursday were followed by Friday and Saturday, as they generally are. Christmas visits in Glasgow was followed by touristy fun back home in Edinburgh (still feels strange calling it home).

Stu (my sexy manshape) and I were eagerly anticipating the arrival of an old uni friend we hadn't seen for years, and his new partner from Brighton. They arrived on Friday evening and a night of catching up, great food, wine and much conversation were continued. Was really great to see Adam again after so long, but it was like he'd never been gone. I love friendships like that, you can be away for years and yet it all continues from where you left off. Great!

So yeah, good food was had on Friday night - a new wee restaurant, can't remember the name but I'll find out. Found it out... it was called 'Smoke Stack' and I can 100% recommend it! Bit pricey for us just now, but it was a special occasion, and well worth the bill at the end. The steak, OH MY the steak! So tender and tasty with a delicious sauce of mushrooms and Drambuie whisky. We will definitely be going back for another occasion.

So that was Friday. Catching up and filling our tummies. The walk home was a very welcome digestion helper, we were all SO full! 

We had chosen the date of Adam and Bruno's visit (the frozen) North to coincide with the start of Edinburgh's Christmas fun and German Market. I LOVE this time of year in Edinburgh. It seems like the epitome of the festive period to me. Everyone is so happy and friendly, the air filled with so many different scents and the the place really transforms when the sun goes down and the rides, trees and buildings light up. Amazing! It makes winter seem a little less harsh and depressing, a little extra light to see us through to the longer days and warmer months.

We had a rough plan of what we wanted to do with/show the boys, but left it up to them to add a feel of spontaneity! After much tennis inspired debating, we finally settled on..... going to visit the famous Edinburgh Castle, waiting till it was dark and having a wonder around the Christmas market with the twinkly lights of all things festive!

Posing with the piper! It was deafening! But very popular.

After a nice meander up the royal mile, calling in to nice tourist shops and posing with bagpipers, we made it up to the castle. 

In time for a few 'frozen face' tourist and outfit poses. It really was cold, and very very windy! Which is rather obvious I guess by the red tinge my face seems to have.

I LOVE these new ear muffs. They are so cosy. I spotted them in a tourist shop during the summer and vowed I'd get a pair when the weather was more appropriate. I got so many compliments on them too, which was really surprising. My coo's and my hat have basically been on my head non stop since the winter began.

I may look silly, but it's all very cosy. I love that it's now become fashionable to look silly but be warm during winter. Makes much more sense than freezing and looking like something from summer. I LOVE my vintage duffel coat too - it's a gift from my Mum from years back, was actually hers, and is age 14 on the label... and still fits. It is just so cosy and really does keep the harsh winter wind out. It's large enough to layer loads underneath so its very warm. Ignore the frozen looking face. It really was very cold on any skin that was out. My wonderful, comfy, grippy wrangler purple boots are a must during the winter too. And thankfully I can walk for most of the day in them, which is a very rare thing for my feet. Complete with chunky woollen scarf and hobo gloves (that now have holes in them so I may need to sew and mend).

So, posing done, obligatory castle backdrop photos done, we headed to the entrance, only to see that the castle had been closed because of the wind! GAH! Just shows how windy it actually was! 

Getting peckish, we decided to head down the Grassmarket for a hog roast roll :-D I've never had one before, but always salivated looking in the window! If you've seen it then you'll know, but they have.... um.... interesting and relevant window displays, that changes throughout the day. But, obvious anti-vegetarian display aside, it was delicious and very cheap - small roll (which turned out to be very large and VERY filling), with fresh tender tasty pork, with stuffing and apple sauce - for only £3 I think. Will definitely be going back! 

With the tummy filled again, we were in need to a warm beverage, and called into a local coffee house for a well deserved hot chocolate, pan au chocolate and group shots (the first I've done on a self timer on my wee canon, turned out pretty well I think).

First photo taken on the self timer. Turned out quite well.
(l-r: Stu, Adam, Bruno, Me)

Warming up and delayering.

I love my new button ring. I made it all by myself. Yay! I'm going to make more and sell them, hopefully people will like them as much as I do. I've become slightly obsessed with buttons lately. Bought so many, really need to start crafting. I also really like the bright orange watch... adds a little winter colour. And it's really easy to read too.

Coat: Vintage (gift)
Hat: H&M
Ear Muffs: local tourist shop
Scarf: Edinburgh Woollen Mill
Gloves: Accessorize
Boots: Wrangler
Green Jumper: Topshop
Black Woollen Jumper: H&M
Stripy T-shirt: Primark
Button Ring: Brag Doll (diy)
Watch: ebay

Light fading, it was time to head to the Christmas market! Yay! It's so pretty! And SO busy!

Sorry for the photo dump that appears to be happening, but I really do love all the photos. Especially the next two. Really love the angles and the lights. I wish I had a better camera, I think I've got a good eye and a talent, just limited to a point and shoot just now. One day...

    

Oh and someone (Bruno) had the bright idea to go on the Big Wheel! Dear Lord! So windy that the castle was shut to tourists early, but not too windy to close the Big Wheel.... I had discovered a few years back that I didn't actually like Big Wheels at the best of times, too high and too swing-y... but my ticket was bought for me so I felt like I had no choice. Immediately regretted it as soon as we got on though! The boys were good at keeping me calm, singing high pitched, awful renditions of glee covers.....'I NEVER REALLY CARED UNTIL I MET YOU! HOW DO I GET YOU ALOOOOONE!' Such fun. But then the inevitable happened... it became our time to get on!

This is me... when we'd just got on... see how blurry the background is... it was WINDY! And can you see the fear in my eyes... one of the last shots of me with eyes open.

The majority of the trip was spent clinging onto Stu and Bruno's knees, with Bruno's hand over my my eyes.... pretending it wasn't really swinging that strongly in the wind, and it would be over soon. Not until we'd sat at the top for AGES to let other people on.... we we're the last on so had to wait for everyone to get off and fill up again! AH!!! I guess it means we got our moneys worth.... but it was cold and very very windy! Pretty view though when I finally opened my eyes.

The view from very many feet above the ground. Where I'd rather they had stayed...

With feet safe on firm ground, although still shaking, we headed for crepe's at the German market and a beer at a close by pub. See just how busy it was. Incredible! So difficult for a tiny person like me to struggle through, especially with limbs like jelly (no joke!).

The lights are very pretty, and make the crowds worth it, especially when you can get up a little higher and stare over their heads.

Market done and full tummy again, we decided to end the first festive tourist day with.... a GHOST WALK! YEAH! I've only done one of these before, back home in Inverness and it was great fun! They always go into so much detail about the history of the place and the 'ghosts' of people long passed. I'd been eyeing up the Edinburgh tours since we arrived in July, but since it was the Fringe and very busy we never did one, I was extra excited about finally going (and a little anxious, I'd be lying if I didn't admit I was taking in by the stories). This was the extra long double dead tour and included a trip under South Bridge into the old leaky vaults, then a trip into Greyfriers Kirkyard and the haunted Covenanter's Prison. It was really really good, and pretty creepy at times. Was truly fascinating to imagine what life was like back in ye olden days when so many people lived in the bridge vaults. I can genuinely recommend these tours to anyone living,or even just visiting Edinburgh. There are so many out there, and the prices vary, so there would be something to suit everyones budget/ 

It was a fantastic way to end the night. Was quite late by the time we came back to the land of the present. We'd been walking all day and were in need of some strong drinks to ease our paranormal fears (and poor Max hadn't been given any food for hours), so we opted for a taxi home and a few drinks with Greyfriars Bobby playing in the back ground. A childhood favourite of mine, and the Brighton Boys learnt all about him on the tour. And that was Day 4. Good times had by all! :-D  

Ah I'm so excited for Christmas! I've been so festive this year, a lot more than usual! Not sure why, think it's because I've had such a busy month so far! Everyday that passes, and every door that's opened on my advent calendar just gets me more excited! 

Five days of Festive Frolics - Part 1.

Days 1+2: Christmas in Glasgow!


Eeeeee it's December :-D yay! Happy December everyone! It's a really cold, crisp, clear day today and I am super excited about whats happening this month. Yay! So much so I seem to forget that I don't have a job.... We 'Christmassed' up the flat the other night and it looks so festive and lovely :-D yay! This is just a low res camera photo just now, but I'll put up better ones later. We were worried we wouldn't be able to use our huge tree from last year and have to buy a scrawny new one, but that super smart man of mine figured out a way around it :-D It's a really stunning tall tree that fitted so nicely into our huge living room in our old Dundee flat. This is our third year of having it and there was still a lot of life in it so we really didn't want to have to get a new one. Stu's brainwave was to just put up the top two of the three stem sections, effectively third-ing the height and base width - and it totally worked! Now its a table top tree! Yay! Isn't it pretty!

So yeah anyway.... days after we arrived back in Scotland I went through to Glasgow to visit one of my oldest and dearest friends. I love her so much, she is so special and we always have the most immature, inappropriate giggily fun :-D I went through to accompany her to see Breaking Dawn part 1 (cringe indeed, but I actually quite enjoy the movies, a bit of easy going fluff) and to stay in her and her fiance's new house. It was really nice being the guest for once, it's normally me hosting so it was really nice to be on the receiving end.

In the (HUGE 18 screen 6 floored) cinema foyer there was a nice wee dedication to the new Chipmunks film and me being me, encouraged by my partner in crime Sarah.... joined in:

I'm so down with the 'munks. So street! Just seem to be too wintery dressed compared to the Hawaii look that's going on here. I got some very strange looks from the other cinema-goers, but it was totally worth it. Ah we just become so silly together, it really is such fun! I'm not quite as relaxed and free with anyone else, we can just be so natural and enjoy our time together. And no matter how long it's been since we saw or talked to each other, as soon as we meet up again we just click right back where we were before :-D I just hope we don't ever lose our connection.

We called into Primark after our dose of vampires and warewolves, to check out the bargain knits. I really miss it since moving to Edinburgh, I didn't even shop in it that much in Dundee near the end, but just because there isn't one here I have a longing for it. But woo! It opens here on Saturday, yay! But we called in and Sarah spotted a woman carrying an awesome snowman jumper, we went on a scavenge hunt. Turns out it was in the menswear department and was super cheap, so naturally we both tried it on! Festive Frolics indeed!! 

Just look how AWESOME it is! How good do we look?! Although I still think Sarah suits it better than me. It also made me realise just how great the height difference between us is. I've always known I was smaller, but it's not something that I've ever really thought about (I just assume I'm smaller than the majority of people I meet), but when we're standing so close, wearing the same sized jumper, it really becomes obvious. I'm so small! Regardless.... I bought the jumper, I thought we both were, but Sarah backed out last minuted; she appears to be more sensible with money than I am. But I LOVE it! It's just so cosy, and it's ideal for hiding layers underneath, which is great for this cold weather. I've been wearing it a lot recently so it will probably appear lots on here, but this is the first photo of it :-) yay!

Primark have also started to do ski-wear! So we tried some of that on too :-) again with the funny looks, and the security guard keeping a close eye on us. But it was so much fun and so worth it! These things were HUGE and really heavy! It was like wearing a virtual reality headset - except it was real life, did give it a surreal side though. We didn't buy these.

 A few more shots of Glasgow looking all pretty at Christmas 
:-) yay!

Eeee and the most exciting part! I get to see her again this weekend :-D yay! Stu is banishing me from Edinburgh for the day so he can Christmas shop for me without me stumbling across anything and ruining my surprise. Yay! He's even paying for my train ticket through to Glasgow :-D It's kinda romantic I think, maybe not in the traditional sense. But I'm so excited to spend more time with Sarah!

And I think I have a sneaky peak where Stu is going on Saturday - hopefully to a couple of my new favourite sellers. The lovely and talented Miss Katy Cupcake and her wonderful new shop. Ooh it's such a lovely space, she's decorated it so well! And I love EVERYTHING in the shop! Especially the tea-plate clocks! So fingers crossed. And the beautiful Savy Sailor. Jen is so beautiful and so gifted, and I definitely share her obsession with buttons! I luckily stumbled across her page after a routine Facebook stalking adventure, and I'm so glad I did, her jewellery is so unique and fancy! I saw her at the 2D/3D fair last weekend and I'm so hoping she's at it again this weekend because I didn't have the time to stop and buy :-( But again, fingers crossed!

Anyway, off to job hunt again. Just a quick excited Christmas post. Oooh I'm going to listen to 'Now Christmas' :-D and encourage my festive spirit. YEAH! Hope all your feelings are festive just now and the rush isn't getting you down. Oh and the snow isn't holding you up too much, we've yet to get any and I think we're the only place in Scotland that isn't white. Mum and Dad have loads at home, and Dundee certainly has some. I'm still immature enough to want some too, until it comes and I have to navigate my way through it, then I want it to leave. But right now.... I WANT SNOW!

Last Day, Last Swim.

The last holiday post, for the last holiday day. We chilled this day and enjoyed the last of the sunshine by the awesome huge pool our hotel had next door. It's great because hardly anyone seemed to use it, was always half empty when we were there. Managed to get the same two sunbeds each day we used it. In fact you can see our stripy blue beach towels in this photo.

It's a shame the clouds are so dark here - each day they seemed to spring from the volcanic hill behind our hotel, then when they moved away they dissipated into nice light fluffy wisps, which was great for sun bathing, not so good for photos.

The pool was so good! There was 2 pools, a free form circuit with a sunbathing island in the middle, connected by the wee wooden bridge. And an infinity pool a little higher up, complete with 2 jacuzzi pools, and 2 strange jacuzzi things that you lay on in the pool and the bubbles came up and around you - was very strange, and I didn't really like it very much. You can see it at the bottom corner in this one ->

You can also see just how large the free form pool was - a whole circuit of it was quite tiring!

But oh my! It was so lovely to be warm enough to swim OUTSIDE! It's one of my simple pleasures which I love, but only at the right temperature. Wonderful!

A few pre-swim poses - complete with flip flops and bikini top showing. I've got my linen trousers on again, so comfy! And a favourite cotton top of mine, its one of the only 2 things I've bought from Mango (normally out  my price range) and it's quite old, and a losing its shape slightly, but I do still love it. It's got lovely lace detail at the bust.

More pool photos - I'm slightly obsessed with it, in case you didn't notice. I really love that the water comes right to the grill edge too, just adds a bit of class I think. And the nice gentle steps - easing you into the, at times, chilly water.

You can see the lovely pool house in the background behind the bridge. And the wall of the infinity pool. It was really nicely done, the water lapping over the edge of the infinity pool created a nice waterfall feature below it. 

In the afternoon it seemed to get even emptier, and suddenly a family of sparrows decided to go for a wee swim too. Was really adorable to see but I don't think the pool water would have been very good for them. Managed to get a few photos before they good frightened off, this is the best one.

After our day of lounging and swimming, we went up to the roof top solarium to catch the last of the evening sun and one final dip in the hot tubs up there. I like this photo. It shows the view from the roof, with all the other hotels, and both of us. Shame you can't see my face, but Arty! YEAH! There was another pool up there too, much smaller and much colder, and loads of sun beds for people to relax on. They were actually the busiest places in the whole hotel. Sometimes really difficult to get a bed.

Sunset of the day, and the last of the holiday. It was actually a very sad sunset, beautifully sad. I realised that it was the last time I'd feel any warmth in the sun for the rest of 2011. A sad moment indeed. And I knew that it would very soon be back to real life again - and the inevitable job hunting that I just kept putting off (and now, this long after, I'm still hunting, with no success :( there are just not enough jobs for the people looking, and I'm a little sad). I also realised I had to pack up all my clothes again - and that I had worn only a fraction of those I had planned to wear, every year I pack too many and this year I promised I'd wear all of them.... but didn't. One of the reasons behind Brag Doll actually.

I love the colours in this one - sunsets are so pretty. And I love the Island ferry coming back for its last run of the day. It traveled to and from Tenerife and La Gomera several times each day, we could hear the horn occasionally from our room. Would have liked to have visited La Gomera, but I priority this holiday was to relax after the hellish year we had both had, so that's just what we did. Wonderful!

One last one of the side pool that we could see from the side of our balcony. Another free form lap-esque poll. Didn't venture in this one - but you can see the pool house of the lovely neighbouring pool near the top of the photo.

Homeward bound. Somewhere over Spain/Portugal I think.
It was a strange route home we took apparently, to get the best air currents I guess.

Such a fantastic time, and really is just what we needed. I feel much more able to survive winter having been away. Winter always seems so long and harsh, it always gets me down, but since coming back home it seems to have gone by so fast, which is fabulous! Bring on 2012!

I've also realised that I put up too many artistic photos and not enough outfit posts. I've still not comfortably found what Brag Doll is going to be - a mixture of arty things, outfits and general diary goodness I think. I'm a very creative person, and part of that comes out in my photos, so I think it's inevitable that they appear quite often on here. Just need to find a happy balance I think.

What do you think? Should I focus on just one aspect instead of trying to cram too much in? Should I leave each post with only one theme - photography in one, outfit posts in another? It's all very new to me still and I'd really value some feedback or pointers from bloggers that are more established and experienced.