The Good Stuff Of... September

September. That transitional month that's not quite autumn but the summer is still hanging around too.

New York
It started with me in New York - I'll finish those blog posts soon. There's still Central Park and the Jeff Koons at the Whitney Museum to show off. So, yeah, me in New York was a great thing of September. Check back later...

Music
I go through phases with music (as I do with most things in my life). I listen to music for months then not much for weeks. This month high in my playlist priority have been George Ezra (that voice!) with Blame It On Me. On repeat most days for me that song. Next up is Blame from Calvin Harris feat. John Newman. For me there is no one out there that can produce tune after tune like Calvin Harris. I still regularly listen to the 18 Months album. Plus he is ageing very nicely indeed. Hashtag HotScot. Other tunes very much in my ears are Zombie from Jamie T, Iron Sky from Paolo Nutini and All Of Me John Legend. What's in you ears this month?

New iPhone!
No Photo. You'll have seen one by now...
I can hear the android device people groaning from this far. But it had been three years since I had a new iPhone. I know, first world problems. However, I ordered it online and it was delivered by O2 on launch day. Within an hour i had it set up, number transferred and everything. I have to say, going from a 4S to a 6 is a big leap. Although the device is larger I cannot tell you the last time my 4S battery lasted more than 13 hours. In fact i don't think i ever did. On my 6 I have had a fe times this month that it has lasted me 1 day and 4 hours or more. I can tell this from the battery usage. I even think the novelty of having my battery at 5% and not flaking out on me will not wear off for a while. It's a revelation to me. The Phone itself is nice. I didn't opt for the larger 6 Plus device. It was a step too far for me. I made an actual cut out of the size and dimension of the two versions of the phone before i ordered it. The 6 barely fits in a pocket and the 6 Plus certainly wouldn't have fitted in my pockets. There's been talk about phone bending when you sit on them. Well, what donkey would put a £500 plus item in their pocket and sit on it? I mean really people, come on. Plus if you're wearing jeans that have pockets large enough to fit a 6Plus hen you should be having a word with yourself. I joke, but seriously! Anyway, so far i've got no complaints with the phone. I really love it. In depth review there, huh?

Vampire Diaries, The Originals, Netflix
I've expressed before how much I love Netflix, butler me just reiterate it. I LOVE NETFLIX. This month i've overdosed on the whole Series 1 of The Originals (the Vampire Diaries spin-off), then i went and started watching The Vampire Diaries from the beginning. Two weeks in and i'm on series 3. I'm really enjoying it. Binge watching is the way to go with programmes. Why wait a week when you can hit go on the next episode. Gotta be done.

Having said that I started watching The Leftovers when I was in New York and it had only just started when i came home so i've been watching that weekly on Sky. Not least because Christopher Ecclestone is in it, as well as Jennifer Aniston's absolute hunk of a man Justin Theroux. Dreamboat. The story is decent too. Haha, at the story being an afterthought! Jeez.

Le Labo body products
Oh Em Gee. Have you ever smelled a Le Labo product? In particular Santal 33? It is absolute heaven to the senses. I first used these products back in March when I first visited New York and they were the toiletries at the swish Refinery Hotel I stayed in. When I stayed this time I made sure I brought some products back with me. Shower gel, body lotion, shampoo, conditioner. They're only tiny bottles so I'm trying to ration them for special occasions but every now and again i'll just open the body lotion bottle and take in a huge giant sniff of that scent. It's warming, it's homely, it's masculine and feminine at the same time but most of all it reminds me of two fabulous trips to New York.

2014, what a mighty fine year you've been so far.

Angela x

The Good Stuff Of...August

August. A funny month. The tale end of the summer, slowly but ever surely transitioning into autumn. You can feel the change. We have a saying here in the central belt of Scotland that "once the Bridge of Allan games are over, the nights draw in" and it's true. Since early August there has been a marked change in the nights. Street lights coming on around 8.45pm now...on a clear day. Earlier if it's been raining. And it's been doing that too. Like I say, August, a funny month.

Holiday - New York, New York!

But there's been some good stuff happening too. Perhaps the most exciting (for me) is that I went on another holiday. Yes, another New York holiday this year. Why the heck not eh! Cheap(ish) flights and a couple of bargains on Expedia for my hotels was the only impetus i needed to get me there. Thankfully the weather was fantastic and I even got my first bit of tan colour on my skin for the first time in YEARS! Downside - i got sunburn on the backs of my legs and it was so itchy that my legs are really scabby just now. Eesh. Anyway, sneak peek photos above. More photo heavy posts to follow in the next few days.


Connor

Connor

This guy started school a few weeks ago. He's 4 years old just now and I can't believe time has flown so quickly. He is one of the two best nephews an auntie could ever have. Swear to god. He's always smiling and is a right chatterbox, total opposite to his brother. Well I mean on the chatterbox front.

They both smile lots. And when they do the room lights up. I adore these little guys. They are my world right now and forever more. On his first few weeks at school he 'played sometimes', he 'didn't like the hymns we sang in the hall where we get gym', wasn't allowed to play football with the big boys because 'that we wuman told me I couldn't'. He ate chips, sausage egg and beans for his first school dinner (Jamie Oliver's healthy school meal initiative haven't reached these parts - several years on!!). Next week they get their school photos taken. I can't wait for the face he pulls in those. The week after that he'll be 5. A big boy. My boy. Connor.

Fitness

Picture from Kayla Itsines Website

It's fair to say my fitness is pretty decent. I go to the gym/classes at least four times per week, five times most weeks. But I've hit another plateau. I can't fathom why other than simply our bodies get used to the exercise routines that we get in to and the food that we eat. Although, swear it, I have really made the effort to cut down on sweets. I'm not going to say 'junk food' because I do eat decent food. But it's the sweeties for me. I really am addicted to sugar I think. Cold turkey may be the only option.

Anyway, the point of my story is that I happened upon Kayla Itsines and her 12 week bikini body guide. Now normally anything that mentions bikini bodies would be a big turn off for me considering the fact that I bought a bikini back in 2003 and have yet to wear it in public! True story. But, I got past the headline and read on her website. It got me curious enough to check out her Instagram and see all of these fabulous transformations, on a Tuesday (transformation Tuesday, geddit!). Granted, most of the girls in those pictures are in no way overweight but what they say is that they are out of shape and need toning up. So yeah, after perusing the website and those addictive 'fitspo' (shite word, by the way) pictures I bought her guide and downloaded it. Much to my amazement (and relief) most of the exercises in the guide are what I do at circuits / insanity / shockfit classes so that was good. They are realistic, achievable and most importantly you don't need lots of equipment therefore doing them at home is fairly simple. Now, if I'm totally honest, I bought the guide back in July and haven't really started it yet because I'm not sure where I'm going to fit it into my current routine. I know I could substitute a few of my classes for this routine but...

The guide is really informative and there's loads to read before you even get to the exercises. It's all about education from the outset = good. You have 12 weeks to complete it. There's 3 circuits per week with different themes of abs, cardio, legs etc. She says they take around 27 minutes to do, which is about the same time as my insanity classes. I plan on adding it into my weekly routine, somehow. I'll let you know how I get on. And believe me if my body turns out like those in the transformation Tuesday pictures you'll be seeing them too! *wink*.

And that was just some of the good stuff of August. Albeit a little later than hoped.

Angela x

The Good Stuff of... July

Backstory.

I read a lot of blogs, a fair few of them are fashion or beauty blogs, and each month some of them post their monthly beauty favourites. I tried that a few times. I sucked at it. Well I didn't but I found that some of those products that came with good recommendations just didn't do anything for me. Maybe because I actually paid for those products and I expected more. So I haven't really done much more monthly favourites that i use in my beauty routine. Rest assured, If I find a product that I love you will hear about it.

Then I did a few Friday Favourite posts. Posts that were made up of good things I found, used, watched or read during a week. Phew, that was a lot of pressure to come up with five things regularly. So I stopped that too. But now I feel like I want to share good stuff I find, use, watch, listen to, read, see. And so here is the first The Good Stuff post. Most likely a monthly event, on the last day of the month, or the first few days of the next month depending upon my posting schedule. Okay, okay, I realise we're over a week into the new month!

Let's kick it off.

The Good Stuff of July.

The Balenciaga AW14 campaign 

Yes, that campaign with a short haired Gisele. The first since one of my favourite designers, Alexander Wang, took over the reigns.

Images from Balenciaga.com

As soon as I saw these adverts I thought WOW, Gisele has cut her famous locks. But on further reading I realised this was some sort of computer and photographic wizardry. Now, I'm not a fan of photo shopping and the like but let's face it, her body is probably just as amazing in real life and seeing her with short hair is something else. I once had short hair. However, I don't have her bone structure! Good photos in a great campaign.


Jim Lambie Exhibition at the Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh

Oh my god, I love colourful things. I especially love when those colourful things are multi-coloured so when I saw photos of this exhibition popping up all over the place I knew I had to go. I did just that last week and it was just brilliant. On the ground floor of the gallery are those colourful and mirrored ladders. The hang from the ceiling at all angles and sometimes you catch yourself, at other times you can't see your reflection. Great. Next you walk upstairs to the main space. Although small it has lots packed into it. The amazing colourful taped stairs lead to an area totally covered in the same coloured tape. On the walls and floors you have various art hanging, dripping or nailed to the wall. You must go see it. It runs until some time in October.


#GIRLBOSS

Yes, I caved in and bought the book #Girlboss by Sofia Amoruso. I didn't really know what to expect from it but wow, it's truly motivating. In a week I've read almost 82% of the book (according to my Kindle app!). I've been reading it mostly on the train whilst travelling to Glasgow and Edinburgh for various outings over my holidays. It's the story of how Sofia started her multi-million pound business, Nasty Gal, and gives handy hints and tips as well as a bucket load of motivation and kick-ass advice for every potential #girlboss out there. She literally went from not a lot to this fabulous business in a just a few short years with a lot of hard work and determination and a knack for harnessing the power of social media to help her business grow, and grow, and grow...

I'm not a huge book worm but that one is a must read for anyone who wants a little bit of motivation. In fact, I might buy the paper version of the book, just so I can highlight and bookmark all of those little nuggets of wonder.

And remember "..before you start to think you just got lucky, remember it's magic, and you made it yourself."


The Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games

Of course I couldn't let July go by without mentioning the commonwealth games. I absolutely loved it. I loved that it was in Scotland. I loved watching the sport and the spectacle of the opening/closing ceremonies. I even loved standing in the soaking wet downpours on Sunday afternoon as those cyclists rode by. I'm glad I got to experience this in my lifetime. I probably wouldn't go to another one. Most of all I loved the way our country (mostly) got behind these games and showed the world what we can do.


And that dear readers was my Good Stuff of July. Sure there was more, but these are the stand-outs.

Angela x