Beautiful Angus…. Scotland

I love to go out walking and explore and sometimes I don’t have to go very far to find places of history and intrest, Arbroath is almost on my door step and is still a working fishing harbour and on sunny days like this its a great day to get a bag of chips sit at the harbour and watch the world go by.

Arbroath is also famous for its ‘smokies’ only haddock is used for this and its worldly known, the fish is smoked over a half cut barrel depending on size depends on time. If you visit Arbroath you can still see the haddock being smoked the bedt view is from Spinks they are great he usually holds up the fish if he sees people with cameras CLICK HERE FOR SPINK LINK 

Arboath is also famous for its declaration in 1320, theres a statue of this here, its to recgonise Scotlands independence and to acknowledge Robert the Bruce as King. 

There is so much history in Angus 

Eating clean…. What even is that? And have I got the right idea?

Im trying really hard to do this ‘clean eating’ thing, you know for a healthier life and all, but it’s proving to be a bit challening.

I’m quite good at the breakfasts, actually I think I have those down to a fine are now, but lunch is a struggle, I go to the gym 5 ot of 7 days so I live a realativly healthy life in that way and so Im trying to adjust my eating habits to reflect this, I don’t want to go veggie or vegan but I just want the rest of my body to feel as healthy on the inside as it does on the out!

I think a nutrionist is going to be costly so I have turned to pintrest for ideas and well there are plenty of them on there, although how do I know still if Im doing the right thing??

OH the confusion and dilema!! Who knew tryng to have a healthy gut was so complicated, I have also been a chronic migraine sufferer, I had my first migraine at about 8 years old but was only diagnosed about 10 years ago in my 30’s so I’m thinking eating cleaner might help with these too, I’ve cut out all the usually culprits but I still get them 😦

Where rigs are coming to die and eagles and celebrated 🤔

Dundee port is fast becoming a busy place for oil rigs to come and not leave, there used to 1 here having work done but we currently have 4 sitting here which is just a sign of our oil and gas times right now, and as and offshore wife I hear alot about this industry. Its an amazing site to see them sitting here dominating our port but I also hope to see them away and working again.

Meanwhile in my photo is a sculpture by Ellen Brown to mark the come back of the eagle to Dundee, this place I have adopted as my home never stops to educate me!! 

Sunday’s …. keep it local!

After helping a friend see in his 40th birthday there was no better way today than to drive home and simply chill out in the sunshine (another rare day here) and then cook a beautiful but simple tea.

We very much believe in buying from a local small business or market, as you may have picked up, so what better way on a chillaxing Sunday than to use our locally brought pasta from the deli in St Andrews, Fife and one of the herb oils we purchased from the Edinburgh market at the weekend 🖒. The cheese was brought from St Andrews as well at a cafe/farm shop.

Dinner was beautiful, simple and tasty… #foodinspro 

Love one market..love two markets!

I’ve written on here how much I love a market so its no secret, today we trotted off to Edinburgh where at the end of every month there is an indoor market Click here for details at the Biscuit Factory, it was a small market with food and crafts and a live band, it had a real community feel about, a place to buy a few bits of locally produced Scottish produce then have a drink and if you’re anything like me move onto the next market ha ha, and on a beautiful sunny day (but windy) an outdoor market was just the thing.

Stockbridge Market Click here for the link a small but perfectly formed market with the best Paella this side of Spain! 

Between the two markets we could have eaten and drank our hearts out 😂 but who doesn’t like a taster? 

A trip to these markets (at least one… Stockbridge because its outside) is a must if you are taking a break in the city..

Canoli from St Andrews

Ahh being a half Italian girl I do like to call upon those roots especially when it comes to food (or sport), and what better food than pistachio and lemon filled canoli’s from a small deli local to me in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland.

Rocca Italian Deli fabulous little place, don’t visit St Andrews without going, you can pick up a snack or something to make at home.

Then photographer in me made my husband wait until I’d photographed them before we could induldge, to me it just made them taste even better, you realise we didn’t eat them all in one go ….. right 😉

Valencia

Valencia

So my teenage son and I went for a couple of days to Valencia, took in football match and a few sites, what a city absolutely stunning full of history and beautiful buildings, not that my teenager was into that part but he played along for a while and the rest I played at being Shirley Valentine, which was fun as I’d never exlpored like this before taking in sites and smells all by myself, camera around my neck and map in hand and off I went, I even stopped for a drink and I have to say I quiet enjoyed the experience, and well who doesn’t like a bit of people watching!!

I went to a huge market that I fell in love with, but then I totally love markets and love that in Spain they have markets where everything is still so fresh, although I wasn’t sure that I would be buyng my snails still moving around and trying to ecape in the bowl ha ha, I miss in the UK we don’t have these kind of markets even good farmers markets seem difficult to find. CLICK HERE FOR THE MARKET INFO

I had a lovely drink and snack in the Plaza de la Virgen CLICK HERE  for a link to Spanish attractions, the cafes are just surrounded by history and a beautiful fountain which has a story all of it own.

The iconic rail bridge, Edinburgh

Forth rail bridge, its a beautiful site and one you know are home when you fly into Edinburgh airport as its usually seen from a plane window. 

Its seen many a visitor over the years and is considered a symbol of Scotland, it links North and South Queensferry and has been in operation since 1890. 

Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh, what a beautiful city and at night when everything seems to come alive, yes even the Castle aluminated red and high on its perch. The streets are alive with people moving from resturant to bar or just from bar to bar and are simply fasinating to watch.  Cobbled winding streets and a 1000 steps to reach the castle, its a beautiful city.

The Wee Pub

It is what it says the Smallest Pub in Scotland, Grassmarket, Edinburgh. 

With no real seating or bar but good beers, whiskys and atmosphere so what more could you ask for 👌 

The View Resturant

What makes you decide on a resturant? For me it just takes a look at the online menu and for one dish to just jump stright out at me and well this resturant didn’t disappoint. I’d heard a few people talk about it and wanted to go to see for myself and was really glad I did.

So if ever you are in Fife, Scotland be sure to vist 😊 

Click here to view resturant

Pudding heaven!

Good enough to eat!

Bad habits …. learn just to eat and drink my food before its gets cold and soft!!!! 

A bit of WW2 history

They say you learn something new everyday, well yesterday I learnt that inly a short drive away there are remains of a WW2 defence wall still standing on Tentsmuir Beach in Fife, Scotland, built by the Polish to stop German landings on our shores, its a great site as theres also bunkers where lived, a little bit of history right under my nose. 

Keep it local

This wine it made and bottled in Perthshire, Scotland, not the a place you would usually associate with wine, but I urge you to try it if you come across it on any travels, not only do they do wine they always make their own cider with is very nice, we should always keep things local if we can to support our local economy and small business.

Ray of light

The Spanish sunrise, even being on holiday theres a reason to set your alarm clock, to miss the wonder of one of the best times of the day would be terrible, trouble is once you have seen a couple you almost get addicted to seeing more, the quietness and stillness of that time of the day is truely a blessing. 

Scottish Thistle

After a long summer away I was glad to be reunited with my camera on a long coastal walk, where I came across lots if these just waiting to show their purple heads. 

Good morning world!

Sunrise, and sunset are the best times of the day for exercise and thought, and today and I just thought “how lucky am I!” 

Had to move quick for this little guy!

Always amazed by what crawls into our Spanish garden… today its a bugs life! 

Had to move quick for this little guy!

Always amazed by what crawls into our Spanish garden… today its a bugs life!