I'm finding it hard to know what to write and how to start this blog post. It's been a while. I've wanted to get back into regular posting on this wee blog for quite some time, but just never found the time to do it. Apparently all it needed was a world pandemic to keep me off work, and my fingers are quick to find the keyboard once again.

I'm not planning to go into the ins and outs of my thoughts and feelings on the current state of the world - we've had enough of it filling our timelines and news channels, that I don't need to add to the clamour or fill this space with negativity. It's a scary time for everyone, that doesn't need to be said - and while I sit at home, having been laid off from my job, I thought I'd start thinking about some of the positives I've had in my life recently. Because, despite my current feelings of despair and / or fear, I have had some pretty great things happen in the last month.

Sitting in my drafts are blog posts I have pretty much completed and am ready to share. Unfortunately for all the planning I've been doing the last couple of months, most of the posts revolve around travel, with itineraries and tips for visiting one of my favourite places, Italy. I started off last month sharing a trip to the San Gennaro catacombs in the hope to continue sharing places I've visited around Italy. I've decided that I will continue to share those posts - obviously not encouraging folk to travel now, but to fill this page with some colour, and with things to look forward to.  But first, I thought I'd share a wee life catch up for the past month - pre-quarantine and lock down, with some of the good things that keep me grounded.

In my round up of 2019 post, I brought you up-to-date on my past year and left you with me working as a commercial archaeologist, working on a site near St Andrews.


One of the biggest changes in the last month, was that I started a new job. While it's still within commercial archaeology, I've now swapped companies with a wee pay rise and the new role of 'site assistant'.  I'm going to be sharing a post soon about what life is like as a commercial archaeologist, so you'll get to know the ins and outs of my daily world soon. This new company had me more settled, I've been mostly working at a site in Edinburgh - you can read about the site in the Edinburgh News here, and if you look closely,  you'll spot me in the photo at the front left or on the photo below, I'm the wee yellow dot working away. This site is particularly cool, as its a Glass Works, from the 1700s, and my first proper taste of urban archaeology (aside from a few weeks on the Edinburgh Tram Extension). The archaeology and finds are much different than anything I've experienced before, but I'm really enjoying it. And I've been tasked with planning much of the site, so I'm getting to perfect my hand at my illustration skills too.

One of the main pros of this job is that it is based in Edinburgh, with a lot less away work. After almost 5 months working away from home, I feel much happier getting to come home to my own bed every night, I can see my sister and eat dinner with her much more, and I can swing round to my boyfriend's / he can come to me mid-week now too.



 image source: Lost Edinburgh Facebook Page



This month, I pushed myself out of my comfort zone and spoke on a panel. You heard that right, wee Em who went bright red whenever her name was called on in class, voluntarily sat on a panel and *actually* spoke. Back at the start of the month, The University of Edinburgh's Arch Soc held an event for 'Women in Heritage', consisting of seminars from some incredibly inspiring women, and a panel discussion. The event was super interesting, and many points were raised - some of which I've experienced myself as a woman working in commercial archaeology, and other points were things I hadn't considered, so it was a hugely informative event for everyone there (and huge props to the Arch Soc team, and specifically Liz who organised and led the event).

I'm not going to lie - I was nervous and stressing for a lot of the time, but I managed to speak up with some (what I thought were) relevant points, and it was great to connect with these women. As an industry, archaeology still has a fair bit to go for equality amongst men and women, but seeing students organise and attend events, like this, and having these important discussions with professionals and academics, does give me hope for things changing.

(image source - @edinarch)


This month, I've managed to spend a fair bit of time with my boyfriend, which has been really nice and welcomed. Typically, we're now not going to see each other for the next 3+ weeks, so its good to have these times to reflect back on. With James's birthday mid-February, and lots of family events for the weekend of and after, I've found myself spending a fair bit of time getting to know his family. One such occasion was a trip to Gleneagles for the weekend. The trip couldn't have come at a better time for me - I'd spent the Friday frozen on site, as a snow storm came and closed everything down. On my arrival that night, James had a bubble bath waiting for me, with a glass of wine and some snacks. It was so thoughtful, and exactly what I was needing. Unfortunately, that weekend James was a little under the weather - I won't go into it, but he wasn't able to leave the house much. We had a very chill weekend, walking round the grounds of the hotel, watching movies in the house and using some of the hotel facilities. I was spoilt rotten with a trip to the spa, and had a full body massage. It left me feeling super relaxed and refreshed, and was just what I needed.




There's not many folk that can say they've got a great grandma, and even fewer who have celebrated their 100th. Unfortunately, her birthday fell through the week, so I couldn't get home to see her on the day, and I made the trip home the weekend just as the NHS and government started to advise us not to visit the elderly, so I still haven't been able to see her yet. My great grandma is an incredible person, with so many stories to share, and always a laugh to give. She's absolutely phenomenal and doing great for her age, still remembering what each of the grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren are up to. I love her to bits, and it makes me super happy that she was able to celebrate this milestone.




Starting off my concert season (me and Eleanor had a concert for each month, till this virus has caused 2 already to be postponed and one cancelled) was Lewis Capaldi. I really enjoy Lewis's music, and find him relaxing to pop on, and find him so funny on social media. He was exactly the same on stage as he is on camera - and when we weren't singing along, we were laughing at his jokes.

I was about to say 'and that's it', but I realise, for a month, that that's actually quite a lot. I feel like this month, things had started to get back on track. I had a few wobbles right at the end of the February, while I changed jobs, and planned for the future, but I'm just starting to feel a bit more settled into a routine, and happier with myself and life. It's both frustrating and saddening that corona has had to come and stick its nose in, as I'm now unsure what my job situation will be, I don't have much money to fall back on, and all the exciting things I had planned are now postponed. I know I'm not the only person to be somewhat grieving the loss of all these things. But nonetheless, it's a reality we're all having to face at the moment, and, as much as possible, I'm focussing on these good things that have happened and what's to come in the *hopefully* near future.

I'm looking forward to getting back into sharing things on my blog - I've spent a lot of time building up a new archaeology website (which I'll be doing a formal introduction to soon on this blog), and as well as some travel inspiration for when the lockdown is over, I also thought I'd share some lockdown realness, with recipes, book recommendations etc which are helping me through this time.

Sending my love to everyone,
Stay safe and healthy, keep yourself at home and keep washing those hands.
Love,
Emily
xxx

It's the phrase that's on everyone's lips - where has the last year gone? With Christmas Day over, and meals of leftover turkey awaiting me over the next few days, I thought I'd breathe some life back into my blog with a post reflecting on the last year and all the changes that have come with it.


A good few months ago, I shared a post on how I was coping with life outside of education. I'll admit, things have been a bit rough. I'm still constantly facing emails with news of rejections (or often no email response at all), which is something I'll be tackling in another blog post in the near future. But I've managed to bag myself a job as an archaeologist and I feel like my life is getting somewhat on track. SO I thought it might be nice to sit down with a cup of hot chocolate, toes getting cosy under a blanket and reflect on the past year before another digit is added on.

I started off the year, in my job at the Yacht, working as a Visitor Assistant and starting to lead tours of my own. I loved this job. The team I worked with were amazing, the company was pretty great and I got to do one of the things I'm good at - talking with people, and sharing some history and heritage. On the surface, this job was 'just' a visitor assistant role, but I found the more I put into the role - the more I got out of it (as cliche as that sounds). I challenged myself and began leading tours of the yacht, so I continually pushed myself to learn more facts and history to share, and I found leading groups of 20 or so folk to be not nearly as terrifying as I initially thought it would be. I also tried to widen my knowledge on the city of Edinburgh, learning more about its history (lots of which I shared in this blog post) - so that I could chat and recommend things to visitors. When I put in my notice, I knew I was ready to move on but I did shed many tears saying goodbye to the kilt and waistcoat, and my co-workers. The job taught me a lot - not only about working life and work ethic - but it helped me to identify an area I want to take my career into, which is Heritage Tourism.




I worked my last shift at the Yacht just days before jetting off to Naples, to take part in The Apolline Project and The University of Edinburgh's dig at Aeclanum. If you know me, or you've followed me for a while then you know that I've been digging with the Apolline Project for 5 summers now, so it was no surprise to see me packing up my trusty rucksack and taking the familiar 6am flight to Naples. This summer felt pretty special. Lots of returners came back, bringing with them new faces who fit into into the group seamlessly. My trench was incredible - it was my first year moving away from the Bath Complex, and into what is believed to be a residential area - and it turned out to have some really interesting and well preserved archaeology waiting for us. As well as digging some really cool archaeology, I built new friendships, strengthened old ones and even bagged myself a relationship by the end of the summer. And to end another incredible dig season, I managed to convince my family to fly out to Naples to show them some of my favourite places (highlights including Pompeii, Herculaneum and Vesuvius, although it did lack a visit to Aeclanum itself, which I'm totally not salty about). A full itinerary is currently in the works, even though looking at pictures of sunshine and blue skies is a little painful while I'm cranking up the heating another notch.


After my couple of months in the sunshine of Naples ended, I returned to Edinburgh to enjoy the fringe and finally get time in mine and Eleanor's new flat. We'd spent almost 9 months living in a spacious flat Murrayfield way, where we'd gotten into the swing of living with each other, buying too many bottles of wine, and demolishing many many packets of sweets and chocolates. As much as I loved the flat down at Western Gardens, we decided it was too far out of the city, and wanted to find a spot that's a bit more central. Enter our new flat at Haymarket. In May we spent a weekend getting familiar with a 'man with a van' who moved our belongings two stairs at a time between flats, and got ourselves elbow deep in cleaning products ('the pink stuff' is a thing of dreams - the answer to all my greasy cooker, stained bathroom and marks on the floor problems). Our new flat is a happy wee place, with less room and too little cupboard space, but what it lacks in floor space is made up for with access to a pool, gym and sauna. All this in the centre of Edinburgh for LESS than what we were paying for before? yes please.

August in Edinburgh is always fun, if not a little manic. The fringe hit the city and I found myself at many - a beer garden and sampling some of the fringe's comedy quite regularly. It also gave me time to navigate my new relationship back at home, and by the end of August, James and I had become official. So while we enjoyed the last of the summer sun, we went on lots of wee adventures down to Cramond and North Berwick, before September brought with it uni for James, and working life for me.


This year, I landed a job in Archaeology. My career path seems to be dodging and diving around where I want to be, exactly, but I've managed to swing it back in the direction of Archaeology which I'm happy about. I'm now working as a commercial archaeologist, which means I'm part of the construction process before developments go ahead. While the job entails being away from home a lot - I'm currently working at a site up in St. Andrews area Monday - Friday - and we can be working in any conditions like hail, sleet and rain, I'm enjoying getting my hands dirty and working in the archaeology field. I've also met some incredible folk along the way, who not only inspire me as an archaeologist, but also like to geek out over archaeology and enjoy a drink at the end of the day.


Last month, I turned 24. Something which excites me and scares me. I think that this is the first year I don't actually want to add another number to my age. This birthday has brought me firmly into my mid-twenties, and this brings so many conflicted feelings with it. Now, being in my 'mid' twenties seems to have triggered a quarter life crisis for me, and I feel a lot less prepared or successful than I had previously imagined my life to be at 24. But I know I did a lot of growing up during the past year. It's been my first year out of education, and my first full year as a working gal.


SO. What will 2020 bring? Who knows? I've not set out hard fast goals as of yet. I know that I want to progress in my career - I'm currently applying to jobs that I would absolutely love in the heritage sector, and I've been working on some side projects that I hope to continue develop in the New Year. Aside from this, I hope 2020 will continue to bring with it fun and adventures - hitting off some more heritage sites off of my Wishlist and if a trip or two could be squeezed in, then I would be extremely happy.

What are your 2020 goals? Are you preparing for the New Year with resolutions and goals, or do you prefer to reflect on the past year, like me?

Love,
Emily
xxx

Summer is fast on its way, and already travel adverts are filling the breaks on the TV, sending my wanderlust into overload. Is anyone else counting down the days till summer arrives? Some warmer weather is definitely in order after the Beast from the East consumed Britain and sent our spring back another month.

Everyone's sharing their summer plans on social media, and it got me thinking - its never too early to start getting ready. Which is why, I'm sharing a new bikini set that I was given from UK Swimwear, which I think it perfect for days spent lazing in the sun.





UK Swimwear features a huge selection of brands, in a variety of shapes and styles for you to find that perfect item to make you feel confident this summer. Whether its bikinis or swimsuits, or a kaftan or sundress to cover up, you'll find an amazing selection here. A quick browse of the site and you'll find there's so much choice; each category is filled with different designers with different styles of suit.

Have a specific style in mind, know that you're more a bandeau girl or fancy a cut out? You can select the style you're looking for and find that perfect suit for you.



Each summer I'm on the hunt for that perfect bikini - something thats fashionable, comfortable and will fit both on top and the bottom. Every time I'm bikini hunting, I find that I'm trying on different sizes of tops to bottoms, trying to find the right combination that will keep everything in place. And I know I'm not the only one who feels this way. As soon as I tried on my new bikini, I held in a breath - assuming I'd be confronted with the usual problem. Not this time, oh no. Both top and bottom fit perfectly, and I feel so secure and comfortable in them. UK Swimwear have a great selection of sizes, and a helpful cup size chart so that you can easily select the perfect size for you.

After searching through the huge abundance of bikini styles on their site, I found the perfect one for me. A simple bikini with a little twist. The cut out details on the bikini are beautiful, and feel sturdy, and are in keeping with the latest bikini fashion trends. The design is simple yet effective - mirroring the patterns of the sun on the water. It'll look perfect pool side or down by the beach.



The quality of this bikini is what has really sold me. The padding and material used feel sturdy, and won't rip or stretch after a summer spent in the pool. The gold detailing doesn't feel or look plasticy either, which helps the bikini exude glamour. After having a quick jump up and down, and even pretending to have a quick swim, I feel supported and secure in both the top and the bottom.



What I really enjoyed about UK Swimwear's website is that you know you're getting something unique. They only carry a few of the sizes of each design, so if they have you're size in your favourite style then you'd better snatch it up quick before someone else does.

Unlike my usual high street swimwear purchases, which I know I'll be chucking out at the end of summer when they're faded and stretched, I know that I'll have this bikini for holidays to come. So I'd say the price tag is definitely worth it.

Have a look through their website and decide what one you'll be treating yourself to ~ UK Swimwear

I've decided to spare you the shots of me in this bikini - my pale white Scottish skin hasn't seen the sun in months. Keep a look out on social media when I bring this bikini with me in my summer travels and you'll see it in action.


*This product was gifted to me by UK Swimwear, however all opinions posted are my own.

A holiday isn't a holiday for me if it doesn't include a visit to an archaeological site. If I could, I'd spend my life exploring archaeological sites and learning about the history of different places. Each holiday, I've been allowed to pick out a couple of archaeological spots to visit or museums to explore. When I started going on digs and was surrounded by archaeologists who wanted to geek out over remains, more and more sites were added to my list - especially those in Italy.

I thought I'd share a couple of my favourite sites that I've been to visit over the years. I'd obviously love and hope to add to this list, but for now these have been some of my favourite places that I've been lucky enough to explore. As an archaeologist,  I obviously love spending my time in these places, and really think that its a great thing to do when you're in a different country. You can really connect with the history of the place and understand the culture of the place that you're visiting.

Moving from flat to flat each year at uni has left me with the task of finding homely pieces that brighten up my room. This year, I've moved back into halls for my masters at Durham, bringing with it the joys of a single bed, a stained carpet and yellow walls. So over these last few months I've been searching for pieces that help to add some fun and happiness to my room.

Wow. It's been a while. Two months almost, since I last sat down with blogger open and typed up a blog post. I found blogmas too hard to say on top of this year, and had to call it quits a week into the month. The small break over Christmas extended into a longer one, and I found it increasingly harder to a) call myself  blogger and b) start writing again.

Cheese recipes seem to be everywhere at the moment - every second video on my Facebook is someone doing something yummy with melted cheese. I mentioned yesterday how food has got to be one of the beset things about Christmas - the baking, the warm comfort food and of course the cheese. One of our family favourites is melting camembert and dipping bread into it - whether we have guests over, or are just sitting together, its a highlight of the table.

So I thought I'd put pull together some of the recipes that have been jumping out at me over this last year, before I put them to the test and try them when I'm home.



Instead of copying all of the recipes into one blog post, I thought I'd share my five favourite baked camembert / brie dishes that are top of my list, and leave links to the places I've found the recipes.

Baked Camembert with Cranberry
Jusrol
This one is from JusRol, and is a super simple recipe for anyone to try. All that's needed is cranberry sauce, croissant dough and of course the camembert. It take no time at all, and I can imagine it tasting amazing for lunch one winter day.

Camembert Snowflake
Salu-Salo Recipes
This has to be one of my favourites, purely because of how Christmassy it looks. I think it would be great to place this centre of the table when you have some guests round, and everyone can tear off bits to eat! (And it has bacon bits through it which must taste amazing with the cheese)

Festive Filled Brioche Centrepiece with Baked Camembert
BBC Good Food
This one is called a centrepiece and you can clearly see why! It takes a little more prep, but the thought of garlic oozing out of each mini brioche makes my mouth water.

Baked Camembert with Bacon Wrapped Breadsticks
BBC Good Food
Another one that looks fantastic, but this time the breadsticks are crispy - giving you a great crunch as you scoop up the camembert.

Herb and Honey Baked Camembert
The Londoner
This one is all about the seasonings, and all it requires is adding thyme, rosemary and honey before baking the cheese - easy but delicious!

Brie Wrapped in Proscuitto and Brioche
BBC Good Food
Brie is a cheese I always associate with Christmas. This time, its wrapped up in a brioche bun and prosciutto, making it the best possible cheese and ham sandwich out there.

Bacon Brie Crescent Wreath
Delish
Another one for those up for a challenge - this one looks fantastic. I love that its a wreath, and you can see the Christmassy colours and goodness oozing out of it.

Savoury Baked Brie with Sun Dried Tomatoes
Cooking LSL
There's so much chocolate and sweets going around at Christmas that its often nice to have something more savoury. This recipe looks incredible, mixing pesto and tomatoes with the cheese!

And those are just some of the baked cheese recipes that I want to give a try! There's so many out there that its hard to choose. I think at this rate we're going to need at least a block of cheese for every day over the Christmas period!

What flavours would you mix with melted cheese? Let me know if you've ever tried something like this!

We've got a long running joke in my family about traditions. It's a word I almost used to title this post, then realised I would be ridiculed by my family when we're all home. Apparently I have a thing for calling things traditions when they're not. And maybe I do get caught up on repeating things that we enjoyed doing the year before. But if we've enjoyed it for a few years, then why not call it a tradition?



We've gotten into quite a routine in my house when it comes to the Christmas holidays... from the films we watch, to the games we play and the music we listen to. To me, it makes me all that more excited for the holidays to come around. So today I thought I'd share a few of the things that make me happy over the Christmas period.

There are so many Christmas albums and compilations out there, but this is the favourite in my house. It starts off with John Lenon's Happy Xmas (War Is Over), and memories of putting up the Christmas tree, and walking into the living room on Christmas Day are all accompanied by the voices of John and Yoko wishing each other a Merry Christmas.

For the last few years we've dusted off the wii so that we can play some family games. Our favourite is Mario Kart, and we've been known to spend many a day playing the game (while drinking wine and eating lots of chocolate).

Hands up, I admit that I will watch this any time of the year. But watching it close to Christmas time is by far the best. This can go for any Christmas film really. There's nothing I love more than watching a Christmas film, while its dark outside and the Christmas tree lights are on. It feels cosy and its my favourite time.

Is there anything better than visiting a Christmas market to get you in the Christmas spirit? Last year I shared posts on Edinburgh's market and Aberdeen's Christmas village. This year I'll be visiting both again, as well as checking out Newcastle's Christmas market. Tasting all the food, warming up with a festive drink and being surrounded by beautiful crafts, twinkling lights and amazing smells.

Of course, Christmas is a time for family. There's nothing I love more than having the whole family together. Whether we're playing the wii or watching a movie together, I love having them all around. I also love giving them their gifts, especially when I've put in a lot of effort with the presents, I get so excited to see their reactions.

Now this I can say is a tradition, without fear of my family shouting at me. Every year we leave out Christmas sacks for Santa to fill. And Christmas morning we're up early to delve into the sack and see what goodies have been left. Christmas Eve always ends with the four of us kids getting a photo with our sacks before leaving them in our spots for St. Nick.


These are just some of my favourite things about this time of the year... Of course, I love so many of the other things, and I'd love to hear your favourite things to do this time of the year!

One thing I included in last year's blogmas posts was a weekly gift guide. I found these really fun to create - thinking of presents is always something I love to do, so creating guides made me happy and excited. Last year, I took inspiration from gifts I knew my family members would like - with a gift guide for music lovers, a gift guide for book lovers, and a gift guide for dogs (because they're a part of the family too, and deserve a gift, obviously). These were really popular posts last year, so I thought I would give them a go again this year, starting off with a gift guide for garden lovers. My mum found a new love for her garden this year, so Mother's Day gifts brought her seeds and plants, and my grandma always loves being out and tending to the flower beds. So this gift guide could be perfect for your family members too!




Bird feeders are always a great gift, because they can be enjoyed all year round. I know that my grandma loves bird feeders because she can sit at her window and watch the birds come and feed. This one is really cute, and would love lovely hanging from a tree or on the wall.

What's more Christmassy than a white Christmas? Every single year, I dream of snow just like the song - but year after year, I'm always disappointed when the temperature drops, but there's no snow to be seen.



This week, Durham was hit with an unexpected flurry of snow. I left my class at 11am, to small flutters of snow and within 15 minutes it became heavy and started to lie. I had a 30 minute walk back to my college, a bag of shopping in hand, and my jacket firmly zipped up. Within minutes, snow was everywhere, and I was thrilled. I think I walked the whole way back with a grin on my face.



As Durham is made up of a very international student population, you could see that the majority of people hadn't experienced snow like this before. I almost tripped over several folk who stopped to take photos, or pick up a snowball to launch at an unexpected friend.

Durham is beautiful on an average day - with the rivers and greenery spread amongst the small city centre. But on a day like this, with a blanket of snow, it was truly enchanting. I felt like I was walking through a Christmas card.



As more snow started to settle, I was able to make foot prints through the untouched snow - one of my favourite things to do. I live in Ustinov college, which is a bit of a further trek further out of town, past the science site. Which meant that I was greeted to fresh snow, covering the neighbouring fields of the Botanical gardens.



This was one day that I actually wanted to stay outside. But once in, I couldn't help get cosy in a jumper and put on a flavoured hot chocolate in my new mug. Christmas music was played throughout the rest of the day, and although there was still work to be done, I found myself looking out the window as the snow continued to fall.

The forecast brings hope of snow again next Monday, and I'm already praying that it comes again closer to Christmas.

Love,
Emily
xxx

I don't usually do these styles of posts, but I've found myself watching so many 'What I Got' videos on youtube, and reading so many blog posts. My birthday falls right before the Christmas countdown begins. While I love having adding a Christmas sparkle to my birthday, it often leaves my family wondering what to get me for a birthday and Christmas less than a month apart.



Today marks the official start of the Christmas countdown. Mine officially began back in September when we hit the 100 day mark, Christmas tunes have been playing for months and I'm onto my 10th re-watch of The Santa Clause. Now that December has hit, there can be no more cries of 'its too early for Christmas'.

Today also marks the start of Blogmas. I've taken part in Blogmas for the last two years, with more success in last year's attempt. I've decided to try it again this year, and while I'll still have classes till the 15th this year (sigh) I'll be doing my best to get things written and published on time. One thing I enjoyed from last year was creating gift guides and wish lists, and I thought I'd go along with that theme again this year, starting it off with a What I Got For My Birthday which can also act as somewhat of a gift guide and inspiration for those of you who are still struggling to find that perfect gift.

Before I start, I want to say thank you for all these wonderful gifts. This year I celebrated my birthday in Durham with my new flat mates and friends, as well as a wee visit from my sister. It was a lovely and chill day - exactly what I wanted for my 22nd. My parents sent down lots of little goodies to make my day that little bit more special, and I'm so appreciative of them all.





I've had my converse for years now, and a month ago they decided to give up on me. They've seen me through countless trips and adventures, turning from their bright white to a dull yellow colour. So it was about time that my trusty converse were replaced. 



Did you know that Bill's restaurant is actually owned by an Australian family man and chef? I only just found this out, and instantly lusted after his cook books. Since I love Italy (have you seen my adventures in Italy? Or the fact last years birthday was Italian theme?) the obvious choice was an Italian cookbook, and I can't wait to make my first dish. 





I love a cute little mug, and have had my eye on this one for a while. I love mugs with beautiful designs on it, and this one is a perfect size for a cheeky hot chocolate (or two). This could be a great present, as you can select the star sign to make it personal. 



As a self confessed hot chocolate addict, I love presents like this. I have at least a hot chocolate a day, especially as the days get colder and the snow starts to fall. This present is perfect for me as its a great treat for days when I want something a bit fancier and different. And I'm saving the bites for a night when I can snuggle with a Christmas movie, have a hot chocolate and delve into the packet. 



This is a bumper of a present. It's a combo present from both my parents and my grandparents, and serves as both my birthday and Christmas presents, but I got it at my birthday so that I could use it throughout December too. Its a dream of a camera, and I've been lusting after it for a while now. I can't wait to use it to get some stunning images for this blog and Instagram. 



Whenever I see people wearing coats like this, I can't help but think how cosy they look, so I was super excited to get one for myself. I think that the fur makes it extra warm - perfect for this time of year when the temperature is dropping. It'll go perfectly with jeans and boats, and can be worn each day to uni.

I hope that these gifts give you some inspiration if you're looking for gifts for your friend or sister. I am in love with everything that I got, and can't wait to use them all.

Be sure to follow me on twitter, Facebook and Instagram to stay updated with all my blooms posts. I've been quiet on the blog front since I moved to Durham and settled into my masters, but am determined to give blogmas a good go.

Let me know if you're doing blogmas this year, I'd love to check out your posts too!