Friday was Red

Wearing: Topshop coat (ebay); Hunter wellies; F&F jumper; Vintage skirt

It got dark at 2pm today. No kidding. Up here in Scotland the weather is turning truly nasty and my walks on the beach remain brisk. Maybe it's the weather, the darkness closing in or pure fact that I am super busy that's making me so sleepy. This week I've wanted to nap every single day. Also, these days I also don't seem to even bother getting dressed. I appear to live in my sports gear and run from training to lectures to home. It's nice to put on some normal clothes for a change. 

I don't know about yourself, but I'm already getting that festive feeling (hence the red). Maybe i'll replace the ribbon with tinsel soon. Last night I had my first mince pies of the year and remembered just how good they are. This time of the season is always bitter sweet. Christmas seems so close but I have to get through many dreaded exams and deadlines first. Eughhh. If you are also bogged down with work, I highly recommend listening to some Mr Buble to calm you down. And if you think its to early to being talking about the festive season, then I apologise sincerely . 

Have a great weekend! 

Cairngorms National Park

 A few weeks ago now I was lucky enough to go on a day trip to the Cairngorms National Park. I only got to see a small bit of it but it was lovely to get out into the countryside for a while. My photo's really don't do it justice. The autumn colours were in full blaze and I could have spent hours just watching out for salmon in the river. I fear that now the weather's turned nasty there will be little more outdoorsy trips into the Highlands until the new year. 

To the Highlands

Thought i'd share a few snaps from my recent trip to the Highlands. It was the best weather for some hill walking and just what I needed. There's nothing better than eating lunch on top of a munro and watching the clouds move across the valley. Although you can see the trees beginning to show signs of fall, the sun was scorching and it felt like the middle of June. Before the northern winds start sweeping in, get out there and take a big breath of fresh air. 

Transformations

Wearing: Topshop coat (ebay); Primark dress; Character shoes 

Studying has begun again and I'm facing the facts that the long summer days are over. I had to buy bike lights the other day because cycling home at 10pm is no longer valid without them. That's always an indicator. As much as I will miss the long summer days and lazying about, I'm excited for fall. It's officially my favourite season. So far, I haven't noticed too many leaves falling off the trees but it happen very soon. I always find that if your not careful you miss Autumn. It seems like such a short season: the leaves all suddenly fall off and then there is suddenly a dark, grim array of bare trees covering the landscape. I therefore intend to get out into the woodlands as much as possible and watch the transformation from greens into searing reds and yellows. As the new season alters, I'm set for my own changes. This year is going to be one of the most important yet. Not only is my goal to do the best I can academically, but I also want to work on my character. When I come back university I always have a tendency to remain quiet and shrink into my shell a bit. I've known these people for a while now and I don't want to be a quiet girl in the corner. As much as I'll miss my friends back home, I need to start branching out and building strong relationships here. This means being bold even when I'm scared of the changes. 

Glasgow Green

Wearing: Topshop Coat (ebay); Dress: DIY, Shoes: Topshop

Most of this weekend was spent moping around feeling sorry for our poorly stomachs. We did manage to go for a short stroll around the green though. I was so glad for the fresh air too. Sometimes I feel all I need to feel better is a walk outside. Being cooped up never does me good and I inevitably begin stressing about small things. Outside I do some people watching in the park or run around some fields and everything gets put in perspective again. It seems that wherever I am I always need a place to go and clear my mind. Does anyone else find that? Back home I used to walk in my favourite fields whenever I was stressed and worried. Walking along the coast at university has helped me think through so many problems. Even in the city, I need a spot to be alone and weigh up the real scale of my worries. Before winter well and truly hits I pledge to get outside as much as possible. 

Hong Kong: Day 10

The final day. 

We were pretty sombre knowing that the trip was coming to an end. Secretly though, I was still rather excited about the 12.5hr flight home. I love plane food sooo much. And the little socks you get... Anyway, we hopped on the metro once again and headed to check in our bags. It's actually a pretty cool system. You can go to central station and check your bags in there so you don't have to worry about doing at the airport. Does everywhere have this?! Such a brilliant idea. It meant that we were luggage free and ready to enjoy our final day. 

There was still another top 10 attraction we were yet to tick off. Victoria Peak. We had left it till the last day and luckily the weather was perfect. We got the taxi up and skipped the huge queue for the tram. In the taxi it took hardly any time at all. At the top, you can go on a free viewing deck (in the building opposite the tram station) and have a great view of HK. You can see the surrounding islands on one side and the full extent of HK's skyscrapers on the other. After grabbing our final bite at Pacific Coffee Company, we headed down to get the return tram ride back to Central.

We hopped off and headed for another great viewing spot of HK. Earlier in the week we'd been told that you could get great views from the free Bank of China viewing platform. Before we didn't have sufficient id to get in (passports) and so came back on the final day. I'm glad we did because the views were just as good as from the peak. Here you could see all the people scuttling around like ants and the cars looked like little toys in a Lego world. 

Our next stop was the Mandarin Oriental. We'd booked a reservation a couple of days before after hearing about the afternoon tea there. We arrived a bit early, eager, but were quickly taken to our seats on the sofa- right under one of the several chandeliers. First I had a mocha... and then another. The scones were served warm and with plenty of clotted cream (which I of course got all over my dress). As for the sandwiches, I liked them all because I'm not fussy. The cakes were different though. One had black sesame in so I left that one for Ed. The others were absolutely scrumptious. Having afternoon tea was the perfect way to commemorate the end of our time in Hong Kong. Ed was also lovely and got me a wonderful Links London charm to remind me of our trip. 

We still had a little time before we had to hop on the airport express and head home. For the very last time we went to the IFC mall and watched the Symphony of Lights show.

Hong Kong: Day 9

One downer about our hotel was that breakfast wasn't included in our room. Instead we decided to save money and make our own porridge. Like at home, I had mine in a mug with a big old dollop of Nutella. Delicious. Still, we thought we should try breakfast in Hong Kong before we left and so looked up some places to go online. We decided that Wagyu looked like a good shout and headed over to Central.

Walking to Wagyu there was the sense that the whole area is pretty European. There were loads of swish bars serving brunch and hangover helpfuls. Wagyu was the most packed of them all and so I expected it to be good. And boy was it! Apart from the leak in the ceiling, the place was perfect for brunch. I began by having a mocha to power me through the long day ahead. Ed got a smoothie which rather made me regret my decision. The breakfast menu is rather pricey but full of choices. It took me a while to decide between the eggs Benedict and the bagel but I decided to go with the New Yorker Bagel. It had smoked salmon and I never turn down salmon. Ed got the pancakes with syrup. When the meals came I so shocked. Back home you only get about two tiny pancakes at restaurants. Here, there was a whole stack and a huge pot of syrup. I was pretty happy with my bagel too. You can never go wrong with cream cheese and smoked salmon. Wagyu was delicious! I didn't get to look at the dinner or lunch menu but I'd definitely recommend going for breakfast if you are ever in HK. 

When we came out we wandered about. The plan for the day wasn't really set. We'd done quite a lot of sight seeing and it was nice to just roam around. That was until we got caught in the rain storm. It came out of no where. To be honest, it was quite nice to experience the torrential rain. We hadn't been caught in it all week and it was refreshing. Eventually it cleared up, by which time we were already soaked. 

We grabbed some more coffee and a cake (I have no idea how we fit it in after breakfast) and tried to dry off. While we'd been to the IFC mall loads that week, we'd never been on the rooftop in the day. If you want somewhere to go for a bit I'd recommend it. It's beautifully decorated and there are some great views of the harbour. 

After roaming around the botanical gardens a little we realised something. There was one HK TOP 10 that we hadn't ticked off: the Star Ferry. It's a pretty cheap and quick way to get across the harbour. There are some pretty views and I can imagine it would be interesting to go on in the dark when the buildings are all lit up.

We'd whiled away the day pretty much. But it was nice to a have a relaxing day rather than running from one sight to the next. Harbour City is a huge shopping centre and it's just outside the ferry terminal. We took some time exploring and watched the sun set on the top floor before getting dinner at House of Jasmine. Beware, this place can get busy. We got our number and had to wait for around 30 minutes before we went in. The place was packed with families sharing meals and it seemed like we were the only couple in there. Out of all the places we ate, I was probably least impressed by House of Jasmine. The food was fine but a bit pricey. The service could have been a bit friendlier too. Saying that, the decor was pretty and they served the rice in cute little bamboo pots. Another bonus, if you time it right you can grab a sunset cocktail on the terrace afterwards.