One year together! That’s what brought us to this intimate Scottish bistro on Rose Street, an anniversary celebration that we wanted to be as low-key as possible. It felt as if we had stepped into a tasteful inn somewhere in the Highlands or Islands, but somehow we were just on Rose Street. Wildfire is friendly and unostentatious with good wine and delicious steak. What I…
Well hello there mid-February, daffodils and ever-so-slightly extended daylight! I was packing up boxes and leaving my pretty flat, mice and single-glazed windows behind the last time I wrote. It was just before Christmas and I was stressed, overworked, temporarily homeless and coming down with a pretty nasty cold. It was time for hibernation. No writing, but lots of reading. Less social media, but lots…
When I first stepped inside this old tenement on Dalmeny Street, it wasn’t the flat I imagined it to be. To begin with, it wasn’t even the property advertised by the letting agency – they’d uploaded pictures of an entirely different flat. Then there was the filth that coated every surface, from the corduroy sofa to the greasy kitchen: it was wholly unloved. The others…
Birthdays are the best. This year I went back to my roots and celebrated with a classic garage party in my hometown, topped off with some of Mum’s homemade raspberry and caramel cake and a trip to see Fantastic Beasts. I wrapped it all up on my actual birthday with a candlelit dinner with my ‘magnifique’ boyfriend and a zombie cocktail, of course. The garage…
Scottish holidays are hands down my favourite kind of adventure. This particular trip was the first road trip where I was behind the wheel, and I loved it! Driving from Edinburgh to Oban via The Green Welly, we got the ferry to Craignure to begin our three-night adventure on this gorgeous Hebridean island. We captured some of the magic in a wee homemade video which…
Octopus didn’t taste nearly as bad as I thought it would, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to eat all of Erin’s goat cheese and apple as we sat at a rickety table in old Faro. Seafood-lovers will feel right at home in the Algarve, but it’s the secluded beaches and charming rooftops that I loved the most. Faro was an…
Growing up with a mother who always had binoculars and an ornithology book in the glove compartment, I’ve been lucky enough to spot lots of Scottish birdlife on one adventure or another. I remember shouting ‘buzzard!’ like other kids would scream ‘yellow car!” and hit whoever was unlucky enough to be sitting next to them. There was one bird I had never been able to…
As a child, I believed I could quite happily live off cornflakes and empire biscuits if everybody just left me alone. There was even a time when I’d have to be coaxed into eating pizza, and believe me, it pains me to think of all the pizzas I turned down over the years. Now, obviously, I grew up and began to widen my palate. I…
Even though I’ve not read many of her books, I love Muriel Spark. I went along to ‘The International Style of Muriel Spark’ exhibition in Edinburgh a few months ago and became even more intrigued by her life and work. She travelled to some amazing places, wrote the funniest letters to friends and produced more work than I’d ever realised. Her book Robinson is first…
It’s a women-led drinks festival that supports local charities and Leith businesses, what’s not to like? As someone who lives in the EH6 postcode, this new festival is right up my street. Supporting two local charities, Projekt 42 and Citadel Youth Centre, Leith Chill Fest is the brain child of Emma Loane and Anna Christopherson, two big names in the Edinburgh drinks scene. Kicking off…