I can't hide the fact that I was particularly excited writing this post. Remember I posted about my friend Lois who had recently got engaged? Well, we had a little surprise for her - a beautiful dinner out with us girls.

But I'm getting ahead of myself, let me start from the beginning...

I just have to start by showing you the little gift I got for her, because I loved it! A personalized box with a ring holder dish.

'To Have and To Hold', the perfect words to set your ring onto.

 

 

If you want to have a look, check it out here:

Ring Dish 

But now let's get to the dinner...

Lois arrived home from a long day to a little note on her bed, reading this:

 Once we saw her excited reaction, we all rushed to get our heels on and out the door. 

I made them stand take a few pictures before we left however, like a proud mama. I also warned them there would be more of this throughout the night!

Not even the Edinburgh cold and rain could dampen our spirits.

We arrived at 'The Outsider'. It doesn't look like much from the outside, just a chalkboard and the flicker of candlelight from the window. Understated is what I would call it. I would walk right past it if I didn't know how lovely it was going to be on the inside. 

It is beautifully lit inside, with a view of the castle when its nice weather. 

   

  Per usual, we all stared straight down at menus, eager for food! I have been craaaaaving a good steak like a for a while, so there was only one option on the menu...I even persuaded Lucie and Lois to try it!

And here it is, the 28 Day Hung Flat Iron Steak with Shallot and Green Peppercorn Butter, Plum Tomatoes and Hand Cut Chips. A-maz-ing. 

The chips were salty and crispy, whilst the meat just satisfied if every possible way. I felt like a caveman as I raved about the meat. 

I would have shown you all the other meals, but we were too hungry to stop ourselves for even a second. So mine shall have to do, but look at it...isn't it enough?

We chatted on for a while, excited about Jules getting married this summer and Lois' recent engagement. Life is changing for both of them in the most wonderful ways.

 

And, emh, *ahem* the beautiful bride to be... (only joking, she is even gorgeous here!)

 

As friends, we celebrate in their joys and how life can be so full of excitement and love. Lois is marrying a truly great guy as well, and we won't have to let go off her too soon, so until then...she's mine!

I got a few more group photos in whilst I could, with much sighing of how embarrassing I was. I reminded them of how they will appreciate in later years having group photos of nights...they love it really! I promise!

We picked up our stuff to hit the flat, and gathered on our sofas for round two. 

Nights like these remind me how privileged I am to have such fantastic friends by my side, and how I get to share their life, as I share mine. 

It's one reason I wanted to start this blog, to show people, or just myself, how blessed I am in the little and big things. 

Laughter is the best medicine after all, and we are not short of them here.

Continue reading

Lunch dates are what I do with most of my time. I love discovering somewhere new, or going to an old favourite with a friend, whilst we sit and chat the day away about all the happenings in life. Its coming close to exam season, so the lunch dates are becoming fewer and farther apart. 

But today, it was of to 'Spoon' on South Bridge, Edinburgh. I have heard they do a smashing breakfast, but it was lunch today.

Its got a very chilled vibe about it. All the windows faced the bustling streets of Edinburgh, but there were people sitting right infront of the windows, so I didn't feel they wanted to be on the blog too!

My seat was covered in old comic book strips, and every single table offered different designs of chairs. A nice touch!

 

I settled down into a lovely cup of Earl Grey tea whilst I waited for my beautiful date to arrive - Rach!

I love it when everyone has a different tea pot, plate and dining set. It is quite vintage and unique. 

 

 Their menu changes constantly, offering new varieties of dishes. It all looked so yummy. But on their specials board, there was a 'Roast Lamb Sandwich, with Pickled Red Onion and Garlic Mayo, with Chips (of course)' and I was sold. I may have also got another side order of chips as my craving has been so strong, and it was worth it -salty and crispy, delicious!

Your craving one now, too? Aren't ya? Yeah so am I...

Mull chedder and chive potato scones with a poached egg for Rach.

We chatted and laughed, whilst we 'mmmh' over the gorgeous food. I will definitely be back soon for more.

Then we both sullenly got up, agreeing that talk of exams meant we should scurry back to our desks for work.

Continue reading

It was a cold and windy night in Edinburgh, we had all finished a lovely flat dinner and were getting ready to wrap up in blankets, with revision in one hand and tea in the other.

But wait...sorry that is what we were meant to do. What we actually did was take a spontaneous trip up Arthur's Seat, in the dead of night, with nothing more than a small torch and a camera to keep us going.

Rachel announced how she had never been up Arthur's Seat, and I hadn't been up since I became a student here. We all gasped and decided we had to go up there and then. Its an unwritten rule to go Arthur's Seat at a student, or even a tourist in Edinburgh. Its the Scottish tradition, and who wants to break traditions?

I was going to stay in and do some much needed work, but of course, I can't say no to an adventure.

I ran to my room and grabbed my coat, camera and my gorgeous red Hunter wellies. They get taken out for these kind of special occasions.

And off we went, with some of us getting a helping hand from the beginning. 

Caroline and I on the way proclaimed how it wasn't that steep, how it would be no bother...when we arrived we all agreed it was a little larger than our memories.

 

 We dodged some late night runners and cyclists as Rachel serenaded us with songs.

Just look at how beautiful Edinburgh is at night? And that was only the beginning...

My gorgeous girls...

 

We took a pit stop half way there...some may run up this, but we took the leisurely approach. We stared out into the night sky, looking at all Edinburgh had to offer, from the Castle to our little flat in the distance.

 

  

Can you see my ear going red? Yeah sorry, did I forget to mention it was freeeeezing? 

 

Rachel proceeded to tell me off and demand I get away from the edge. I think I was getting a but too big for my boots (or wellies...).

 

They got ready for another graceful photo...

Okay, maybe not so graceful after all.

I still love them though, they were so much fun. We just laughed the whole way up!

*Cough* Some took a little longer to get up than others at times...

But we finally made it, and boy was it worth it. A 360 view of Edinburgh in all its glory. I couldn't think of anything more wonderful in that moment, even pictures can't capture it.

It was short lived however, because the wind howled and we were frozen, so we quickly scurried down. Or what we thought was the right way down.

Long story short, we got lost at the top of Arthur's Seat with the small torch to fumble around with. We even came to the cliff edge...obviously 3 girls is not the best idea for this trip. But we made it down in one piece after what seemed like a very long time. I wouldn't recommend going up in the dark, but the view was worth every moment.

We arrived back home a little later than first hoped, thanks to our silly sense of direction. We flung on our pjamies, filled our hot water bottles, and jumped into bed. 

We set off to make memories together, and we definitely achieved that. What lovely girls to have memories with as well. 

I'll leave you with my favourite picture of the night, a selfie at the top. Enjoy!

Continue reading