10 good things

10 of the best things which have been making me smile a lot lately...

My favourite tea house in Glasgow, situated in a leafy part of the West End just off Kelvingrove Park.On a sunny day it is perfect for sitting outside, with a cosy and concealed decking area -  and their selection of teas and vegan food/cakes is the best I've ever tasted. We also dabbled in a cherry flavoured shisha pipe last week which was yummy too. Above is a Mary Poppins tea with chocolate fudge brownie.

I'm not over exaggerating when I say this was genuinely one of the best nights of my life. Myself and a few pals had tickets for Katy's latest tour at the Hydro, inside the 'Reflection Section' - which was basically a pit inside the stage.We had a front row view and Ms Perry was close enough to touch! I got to meet Katy at a Meet & Greet a couple of years ago but it was still really overwhelming watching her performance from so close. You can see a video I took from the gig over on instagram (@hellorogue) and I did actually cry at a couple of slower songs :( Ive been in quite a vulnerable place lately and they really tugged at my heart strings.

I really miss not living at home with my Mum, and truly cherish when we get to have a proper catch up amongst both our busy schedules. I went to meet her on friday for a haircut (got quite a bit chopped off as you can see!) and then we went to a lovely new restaurant called Ox and Finch. My Mum is a massive foodie so you know when she recommends somewhere to eat, it's gonna be good. Scallops, Steak, Poached Eggs and Asparagus are amongst a few of the things we ate. Absolute heaven!

During that last job I had been like passing ships in the night with all the animals of my household. Feeding, watering and cleaning out their tray/cages were about the only interaction we were having. So it's been nice having a bit of time off to rectify that! Dexter and Tinkerbell received a lovely parcel from PetShopBowl last week. Dexter only eats dry food, and has ever since he was a baby. So he had a sniff at the Lily's Kitchen food but left Tink to get stuck into it. They both had a good old munch at the Symply Salmon biscuits, and are currently very kindly sharing their favourites - the Dreamies! I don't know why but they go absolutely crazy for them. Dexter also has a major soft spot for catnip, and wasn't up for sharing his Kong Wubba toy (which is catnip infused) as you can see above. Boys will be boys ;)

 

Emma and I had a lazy friday night in as we knew we'd be out at Radio One's big weekend on Saturday and Sunday. So on Friday night we watched the live feed from George Square, and had a light snack rather than our usual weekly takeaway. I got us both a light sponge/mousse cake from Patisserie Valerie (which were demolished before I got a chance to take any pictures) Then I made us up a batch of Peach Pear and Honey Ice Tea from Fruitbroo's new ice tea range, which was nice and refreshing on these warm summer nights. I've been a bit obsessed with cheese and ham croissants lately (I do tend to go through phases of eating a certain food until I get sick of it) and since Emma is a veggie I made us an alternative with Quorn bacon rashers, which I have been wanting to try for a while now. It didn't taste much like real bacon at all unfortunately, and missed that salty and smoked taste. Definitely just more like a normal ham! So I teamed it up with a nice applewood smoked cheddar which kicked the flavour a bit. I have no idea how long this croissant obsession is going to last for, but hopefully not too long as my hips won't thank me for it.

I have had Spotify for a while now, but haven't properly explored it until very recently. I was used to just searching for songs and making my own playlists, but I have discovered a whole load of pre made lists on there, to suit a million different genres and moods - and I am addicted! Most evenings for me now will consist of sitting on the couch or in my bed a bit before bedtime and winding down with music and a book. I pop my ipad mini in this little lapdesk contraption which has a hard surface but sort of bean bag underneath. My evening playlists of choice at the moment are Evening Acoustic, Songs For Sunset, and Sleep Tight (all which you should be able to find under the browse section on Spotify's home page) I'm also a bit of a rubbish reader so have been trying to break myself in easily, and I'm currently reading "Popular: Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek"by Maya Van Wagenen, where she decided to follow advice from Betty Cornell's 1952 Teenage Popularity Guide and document the results, what would Betty do?!

I am pretty rubbish at being self indulgent when it comes to relaxing and winding down. Reading and listening to music has definitely helped though, along with lighting candles, burning incense (nag champa is my favourite) and enjoying these personalised bath salts from The Bathory. I customised mine with Bergamont, Lavendar and Ylang Ylang essential oils, but only have a shower in my flat so before I'm able to have a full on soak I made myself a mini foot bath which was lovely! :)

The sunny weather in Glasgow has allowed for nice long walks around the park with Heather and her pups. On the way back from a walk last week we got ice cream from Queens Park Cafe, then stopped by our local Church On The Hill for a cider in the sunshine. This cute little lady above is Cherry, who I believe is a mix between Boston Terrier and Chihuahua. Dat face!

 

I finally got a copy of some of Luisa's wedding photos (by Vanishing Moments Photography) and they teared me up something awful. Such wonderful memories of a beautiful day. Luisa was only a few months pregnant at the wedding, and now her baby boy Robin is a few months old. Getting to babysit him for a couple of hours on thursday while Luisa goes to the Doctors, so I'm looking forward to lots of cuddles.

Theme of the weekend seems to be "I'm getting too old for this sh*t!". What a brilliant weekend though with a fantastic line up, and all on our doorstep. Highlights were definitely Pharrell, Lily Allen, Ed Sheeran and Lorde on the saturday, then Katy Perry, Rita Ora, Sam Smith and Paolo Nutini on the Sunday. I feel like a burst couch after drinking and dancing around Glasgow Green the whole time.

This week I am mostly recovering and getting ready for my trip to London on Friday. If any of you blogging lovelies are around and fancy meeting up for a coffee or a wander then let me know :)