Oh flower of Scotland….

It’s been a sombre weekend for many of us in Scotland. I am devastated about the referendum results. I really felt that an independent Scotland was an opportunity to create a fairer society. I believe passionately in the tenants of socialism & I think the yes campaign embodied those ideals.

Disappointment at the result was compounded by the loyalist thugs taking over Glasgow’s city centre on Friday. Add to that MP’S backtracking on their election promises & I was left despondent.

Having said that, I still have hope. Yes voters remain politically engaged. SNP have around 10000 new members. Saturday saw yes voters peacefully gathering in George sq & making donations to food banks. Organisations such as we are the 45% have sprung up & are gaining huge support. It seems the dream is not over. There are like-minded people out there & they are determined to protect the vulnerable & establish a movement for a better Scotland.

So, with all this firing in my mind I felt the best way to express myself was on my nails. So, here you go my first political manicure.

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it was a cold september before the indian summer…

As promised I ventured out this week. It wasn’t the wildest of outings, but it still felt good to put on a dress & a lick of mascara. My sister I resumed out little cinema club, but first we headed to the gorgeous Blythswood sq for some blog photos.

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September is being very kind to this year, which allowed me to give this little sun dress another outing. I picked this & another similar dress up in Primark earlier this summer. I love the colour combo & the patchyworky print. I love that my boobs fit happily into this bandeau style. I often have trouble in that area with no plus size labels. I felt very cute in this dress, which can only be a good thing.

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Cinema club kicked off again with, Before I go to sleep. I read the book that it’s based on a few years ago & enjoyed it. I really liked the film; it perfectly captured the suspense of the novel. I’d recommend checking out both the book & the movie.

Finally. this week’s nail looked like this

 

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You can check out my sister’s side of the photo shoot here.

 

 

Stereophonics Indian Summer

 

 

 

with my red nail polish…

Painted nails have always been my thing. Growing up, I never saw my mum without immaculate nails. In fact many of my friends should to think she was very glamorous in part due to her beautifully manicured & painted nails. So, I suppose that’s where I caught the bug. Gorgeous nails are a big part of my personal brand.
Now, pretty as my hands are, my darling little sister has taken manicures to the next level. Her nail art is amazing (you can check it out here). Her creativity has inspired me & I invested in some nail brushes. I am far from skilled, it’s going to take some practise, but here are a few of my first experiments.

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Hey, I put some new shoes on….

Unfortunately I am still ill. It’s frustrating & not a lot of fun. It also means that I haven’t been going anywhere other than medical appointments & the corner shop, which accounts for my lack of posts. I finally ventured out today to do a little shopping with my mum. It’s the first day in weeks that I have looked half decent, so I took a little selfie to share.

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Dress – Junarose

Belt – Asos Curve

Cardigan – John Lewis

Almost everything I wore was a huge bargain; god bless 70% off sales. The t-shirt dress is incredibly comfortable & may well be my new favourite casual dress. I wanted to add some grey to my wardrobe now that it’s getting chilly, this works perfectly. The belt is also new & is basically the belt of my dreams. I may well wear it with everything.

My adorable new shoes also arrived today. I could not wait to try them. They jumped straight out of the box and onto my feet. I purchased them online from JustFab. I have been seeing a lot of their ads recently & was curious. Their every pair for £35 struck me as little too good to be true. However I was pleasantly surprised after having a neb. Their heels aren’t really my thing, but I loved their flats & boots. As an introductory offer I got a two pairs of shoes for £35, which is an excellent deal by anyone’s standards. I am totally satisfied with the quality & fit. They also have a large selection of non-leather shoes, which is great for veggies. The small disadvantage is that you have to remember to log in every month & declare if you’re not buying anything, otherwise they charge you (the charge is applied to your account as credit). Other than that I would definitely recommend giving JustFab a bash.

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Shoes – JustFab

 

a month in the life..

I have written for a while. I blame this on the stupid virus that is making me feel like I’ve been hit by a truck. Unfortunately my compromised immune system is making it very difficult to shake off said virus. I have however managed to get out & have a little fun, so I thought I would do quick compilation post.
The month started with the wedding of my wonderful friends Lisa & Gordon. I met Lisa whilst we were both working in a tedious a role. Lisa’s arrival transformed my days from dull to a giggle fest. That was 10 years ago & we have been giggle buddies ever since. Obviously over that time I have gotten to know Gordon and have discovered that he too is a truly excellent person. They have now completed their family with James, their perfect little man. The only thing left to do was tie the knot. They wed in style at a romantic Scottish castle. I was delighted to be part of their special day. My date couldn’t get the time off work, so my darling best friend, Pamela, stepped in. We took full advantage of the chance to be luxury bitches for a couple days.

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Carberry Tower.

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Lisa & I

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Adorable little James.

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Beautiful Bride.

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My perfect Pam.

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The one nippled statue I was caught feeling up.

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A little hung over the next day with my new man.

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My boy was very pleased to see me on my return.

 

Next up was a wee sojourn at my mother’s for some relaxation & quality time with my poodle babies. My darling little canine sister, coco, was seriously ill last month, but has made a remarkable recovery. She is now back to her old self including bossing her boy about. Despite D’artagnan being quite a bit bigger that his mum now, he is still very much the junior partner. Mum lives in a pretty little village, so walking the dogs there is always a pleasure.

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Sleeping babies. All that chasing each other up hills wore them out.

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Bronan was again very pleased to have his Mummy home.

 

Glasgow pride was my next excursion. The event was displaced this year due to us hosting the commonwealth games. The new venue wasn’t really up to scratch, but Bil & I still had a fun day. There were lots of freebies (naughty, tasty & practical) plus the usual buoyant pride atmosphere. Unfortunately the Glasgow weather chased Bil & I inside to escape the down pour. We withdrew to Delmonica’s for a chat & to review our swag.

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A small sample of Pride freebies.

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Sporting some gender equality face paint.

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Billy’s extensive freebie collection.

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The only correct attire for Pride, rainbow!

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The arrival of commonwealth games in Glasgow created a fabulous buzz in the city. I made a concerted to effort to experience some of the excitement. I am really not a sports fan; however I have loved the vibe in my city throughout the games. The spirit of Glaswegians infused perfectly with the influx of tourists ensuring that everyone enjoyed themselves. Glasgow has really shone. I nipped into town once or twice to sample the games fever. I took advantage of being out to do a little charity shop/vintage shopping. I also met up with friend up from London and had a great gab in the sunshine.

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Tourists posing with cones on their heads & a gold cone to celebrate the games.

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I found this gorgeous tea set in Marie Curie shop.

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& this fab shirt dress in Glad Rags.

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I love this street art.

 

Last, but not least I took advantage of the soaring temperatures by having a family BBQ. Lots of food, some frozen cocktails & my homemade cheesecake that pleased all in attendance. We had such a good time that we neglected to take many photographs. The only picture I snapped that night was my adorable boys waiting patiently for their burger. No family event is ever complete with some of our furries.

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Sun going down on my BBQ.

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Ringo & Buster waiting for their burgers. Their mum in the background munching hers.

 

 

  A day in the life The Beatles

 

 

Paint it black…

i am off to a fancy hotel for my friend’s wedding later today. I am looking forward to my little mini escape. Before I jump in the shower I just have time to dash off a quick blog post.

On Friday I finally got to see Cold in July. I highly recommend this film. It is impossible to describe as it starts as one thing & morphs into something else. It has a great cast & brilliant twists. Go see it.

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It was drizzly on Friday, but still really stuffy, tricky weather to dress for. I opted for this tunic dress. It’s light and comfortable with some really pretty embroidery. I stayed monochrome with my jewellery, but couldn’t resist pairing my dress with these star print leggings.

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Dress – Monsoon

Cardigan – Gift

Ring  & Earrings – Gift

Leggings – Next

 

I shall be enjoying some luxury for the next two days. I’ll be sure to blog about it when I return.

 

 

 

 

Bits & Pieces…

I was going through my clothes trying to clear a little space in my packed wardrobe when I came across a skirt I had forgotten I owned. I’m not sure how I managed to forget this skirt as on discovering it I instantly fell in back in love. So, I immediately changed outfit & wore it to see a movie with my wee sister.

The red kimono I wanted to wear with it was in the washing machine, so I decided I would experiment with some pattern clashing. I quite liked the outcome.

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Skirt – Dorothy Perkins

Kimono – ASOS Curve

Leggings – M&S

Vest – H&M

Sandals – Primark

Bag – Market

 

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I really love the fish taily detail on the back of this skirt; it makes it a bit more special. I am also infatuated with my new floral print kimono, I bought a size up as I wanted it to be loose & oversized.

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I teamed my mismatched clothes with my all-time favourite sandals & tried something new with my hair, which turned out ok, but will need a little practise to perfect.

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I wanted to see ‘Cold in July’, but my darling sis was very keen to see ‘Maleficent’. She won the movie debate in the end. It’s a sweet take on a fairy tale, but it’s essentially a kid’s movie, which is really not my thing. Next time I will definitely be choosing.

 

 

Bits & Pieces Dave Clark Five

 

 

 

 

The whole city is your jewellery box…

I have been home all day doing housework, budgets & baking some cakes, which means I have no exciting outfit to photograph. Instead I am featuring some accessories. I love costume jewellery, but am terrible for wearing something one & the allowing it to languish in my jewellery box for eternity. As part of my mammoth organising spree I tackled said jewellery boxes. I have no pledged to make better use of all the cool pieces I have collected over the years.

I knew I had to have this peely wally necklace the minute I saw it. I was smitten by the Scottish colloquialism & couldn’t escape the fact that it perfectly described me. It’s oft complimented & is an admirable addition to a little black dress.

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Bonnie Bling

My serenity prayer bracelet was a gift from my darling friend, Jenna. As I have said previously, I do not practise in religion, but do believe in a god of some kind. Although this is a Christian prayer, I can relate it. I know it has also become associated with AA, but I think it speaks to anyone who is experiencing difficulties. Along with the sentimental value I find this bracelet beautiful. The design is so simple that I can easily be worn every day.

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Gift

Today’s final pretty thing was a ridiculous bargain. I found it in of all places, Aldi. I went to Aldi for lemons & asparagus. I came home with this beautiful spider. I don’t normally buy my jewellery in budget super markets but, hey, I’m not going to be snobby about it. This big, sparkly spider brooch is amazing. I plan to give him his first outing at a friend’s wedding next week. He can’t wait.

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Sheffield : Sex City Pulp

 

Lazy sunday afternoon, got no mind to worry….

Over the last few weeks I have established a new Sunday ritual. My lovely friend Bil comes over for a gab, some food & a drink or two. It’s a perfect relaxing Sunday. I really enjoy cooking & especially love feeding people yummy food. I have been trying some new recipes from Delia’s vegetarian collection. Yesterday we had cheese & herb fritters with balsamic jam, which was delicious. Equally yummy was the frozen berry daiquiri we washed it down with.
It’s still rather hot in Glasgow, so I popped on one of my favourite skater dresses. It’s so comfortable & easy to wear. It also happens to look pretty good. I wore some little black short under it because it is fairly short & also to guard against the dreaded ‘chub rub’.
We took the pictures in my back garden, which the gardener has just rid of weeds. I think if this weather keeps up a barbeque is in order.

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Dress -ASOS Curve

Shoes – Primark

 

 

 

Lazy Sunday Afternoon Small Faces

 

Sun is shining, the weather is sweet ….

I can hardly believe I’ve been in Glasgow this past week. The sun has had his hat on everyday & temperatures have been soaring (for Scotland). In truth it’s been a little too hot for me, but I have been rather firmly told not to complain.

 

Having spent the day rushing around in the heat, I was ready to cool down. Seeing a film with my sister was the perfect solution.
I downed a pint of ice water whilst waiting for Lauren to arrive & then we headed out to find a spot for photos. We settled on the ‘running clock’, I’m not sure if it has an official title, but that’s the moniker I have given it.

The weather was reflected in my outfit. I opted for this vibrant yellow pencil skirt teemed with my harmless shark vest. Both are Primark bargains. The vest is actually from men’s wear, but I found it amusing & it fits fine. I bared my legs for the first time this year & it felt really great. However I chickened out of exposing my flabby, scarred arms and donned my current favourite cardigan. It’s very light, so works well for summer.

 

Skirt – Primark

Vest – Primark

Cardigan – John Lewis

 

We saw a film called ‘devil’s knot’, which was excellent. It’s based on the true story of the Memphis 3, three teenagers who were convicted of murder in the early 90’s. The story is shocking and really makes you question the American legal system. I’d highly recommend seeing it.

 

Sun is shining Bob Marley