Exploring Scotland: The Japanese Gardens

I love finding out about a beautiful place and the Japanese Garden at Cowden is no exception. I’m not sure how I found out about it, which annoys me but I’m really happy I found out about it. Residing in Dollar, Clackmannanshire, The Japanese Garden has a really simple history behind it, in the 20th century inspired by a recent trip she had taken, Scottish adventurer Ella Christie decided to build a Japanese Garden. She enlisted the help of a female design, Taki Handa, and the result was a seven-acre site on the grounds of Cowden Castle. As a result, the garden is the first and only garden of its size to be designed by a woman. You can find out so much about the history and more recent happenings of the garden by visiting the website. 

5 recipes I've tried and loved 2021

I know I use this blog infrequently, but I can’t believe it’s been 5 years since my last ‘5 recipes I’ve tried and loved’ post. I really thought this had been posted in the last 3 years! It was fun to look back at that post because I was able to see if I still used any of those recipes, the short answer is no. But really, it’s ‘kind of’. I hadn’t made the Roasted Red Pepper & Goats Cheese Alfredo in years, but at some point, in 2020 I did make it after years of not doing so. I’m not sure why I stopped making (probably due to my laziness of peeling the red peppers) but when I made it this time around I didn’t *love* it. Maybe I was just out of the practice of making it so didn’t adjust things according to my taste but it didn’t blow me away. I’m willing to give it another go this year though.

The other recipe that I’ve made now and then is the RicottaMeatball Sandwich, but again just the meatballs, I never bother putting it in a sandwich! I did make it recently because I was typing up this blog post and fancied them. They are truly delicious and NOT DRY, something I think a lot of meatballs suffer from. The recipe also makes so many that there's some for the fridge and the freezer, this will definitely be showing up again for my meals in 2021. As for the other recipes Mexican Beef Fajita Salad, Turkey Meatballs with a Tomato Sauce and Chicken,Broccoli and Mushroom Stir Fry, I all but forgot they existed. Well maybe not the Turkey Meatballs, I just know my boyfriend isn’t a huge fan of turkey so I don’t lean towards wanting to make it but I will try and add it into our meals at least once this year. As for the other two recipes they have fallen off my radar completely and I have to say – I don’t mind that. I have plenty of other yummy recipes that I use now and I am sharing details of them below! 

Exploring Scotland: Isle of Arran

I genuinely cannot believe it's been so long since I've written a blog post, I definitely got caught up in my BookTube channel and studying. I've completed my Master's degree now and at the moment I am on a break from YouTube (I took time off to write my dissertation) and I really wanted to share these photos I took when I visited Arran back in July. 

We drove from Glasgow (I actually managed to drive us partway there) to the Ardrossan Ferry Terminal and got the ferry to Arran for about 11am. We had no real plans other than to just wander around and sometimes have no plans is just my favourite way to explore places. We ended up driving to Blackwaterfoot which is a village in Arran. It was so lovely to be so close to the sea, I know the last time I was near a sea before that was in Italy when I was visiting my friend in Latina. It was a pretty mild day when we went, it was raining in the morning but tapered off to a drizzle and then nothing in the afternoon. 

Exploring Scotland: The Kelpies

I mentioned in my Edinburgh post that between moving and everything else I felt like I had abandoned my blog. I have quickly realised that this is very much true (blame, my BookTube channel) but also that I never officially mentioned that I was moving on the blog. I moved from London to Scotland in September to study for my masters and it’s been a whirlwind! I live in a quiet old town in a flat beside a beautiful river and I get to study the one industry I’m totally passionate about – publishing!

Best books of 2018 (to read in 2019)

It’s been a long time since I talked about books on this blog, in fact, the last time was about 11 months ago, sharing my Man Booker Prize 2016 video. With 2018 done, I thought I would share some of my favourite books of the year. I have done full videos on all my books, so I’ve just handpicked a couple from the video, you can check out the videos at the end for more books and full details about why I love them.

Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge

This is should be mandatory reading for everyone, not only is it about Britain’s history with racism and slavery (very few books are) but it explains to white people the frustrations black women face when it comes to talking (let alone dealing) with racism. This non-fiction read is short, to the point and informative. I want to read more like it.