It's been a while since I've written a post with all my monthly photos - in fact I think my last one was for May, before all my summer travelling started. A lot has happened since then - did you catch my post about what I got up to in Italy? -  and here I am, more than a quarter of the way through my fourth and final year of uni. October has been quite a busy month - with lots of deadlines, but also some fun here and there to keep me going.

If you don't remember way back when I last posted my round up of the month, then I'll give you a wee reminder - I take all of my instagram photos and pop them all here with a little bit of a story about what I was doing in that photo.

1. I spent the 1st of October at Portobello beach. I totally expected it to be cold and very autumnal since its the 1st of October - right? But the sun was shining and I had to strip down some of my layers. While on the stroll - and between a chipper stop - I took this snap of of some of the colourful houses on the prom.
2. I posted this picture from Tenerife - as part of a Holiday Look-Book that I created. Check out all of my looks here!
3. I took a wee trip back up to Aberdeen, to celebrate my mum's birthday. Of course this meant lots of time with my dog Alfie. And this photo was from when he fell asleep on the rug, after a long walk, and because I love his little paws I snapped up this photo. 
4. Because it was my mum's birthday, we ordered in a chinese take away. It's one of my favourite things to do - and we do it family style, picking and mixing all of the different dishes. You can check out my vlog of the weekend here!
5. Most of the weekend was spent in the music room... Makes us sound all posh having a music room right? But music is my dad's favourite thing, so his endless collection of records which he has been collecting all his life is squeezed into this room. We spend many days chilling out in here, listening to his records and its so relaxing.
6. I gave a visit to Coro - The Chocolate Cafe. It's an incredible place filled with lots and lots of chocolate goodness. I ordered this amazing oreo waffle - read more about this place here!
7. One of the biggest trends right now is the choker necklace, and I have fallen for it too. And because I haven't found a black choker that I quite like yet, I took the advice of a facebook post and tied a shoe lace around my neck. What can I say... I quite liked it!
8. Gemporia is a great website, with gorgeous jewellery made from precious gems - and guess what? Its all ethical! I wrote a post with some of my favourite pieces from them, and was kindly gifted this beautiful Ruby bracelet in return. How nice is it!?
9. You may have seen in my post with The Autumn Tag, I am really loving Chai Tea Lattes at this time of the year. And after a hard work out at the gym - where I actually tried out all the scary weight machines - I was in desperate need of a treat and that came in the form of a nice big Chai Latte.
10. While I played tour guide for a little bit, when my friend was over visiting, I went up to the roof top terrace of the National Museum Scotland, where we got some incredible views of the city as the sun began to set. 
11. We then had an evening in at my flat, where we waited hours for a pizza delivery not to come, but drank and reminisced about all the fun we had while on the dig. 
12. I went to see Rebecca Ferguson last month - she was incredible, a beautiful soul with a beautiful voice. I've got a vlog coming up on my youtube channel with lots of clips on it too!
13. This outfit is something I've been wearing A LOT this month, so it was a feature of a 'What I Wore Wednesday' - check it out here!
14. After Halloween celebrations at the weekend, I went out for a delicious brunch to celebrate the birthday of a friend. It was a lovely treat, and a perfect way to avoid studying!

We're officially in summer, and my heart can not contain itself. Despite being a Christmas lover and enthusiast; Summer makes me happy. The sunshine brings out a happier side of everyone, troubles seem to be easier to brush away with an evening in the evening sun and a glass of lets say 'a drink of choice'  in hand, and the flowers bursting into blossom brighten up every garden that I pass. I say this while well aware of the fact that I can count on one hand how many fine days we've had here, but I remain optimistic. I'm also counting down the days till I hop on a flight to the more reliable and warmer climate of Italy.

May has been a somewhat tough month for me - you may have noticed a lack of blog posts on Under The Scottish Rain, which I do apologise for. But you know what? I needed a bit of time off! The first two weeks of May were engulfed in a flurry of stress and panic as I studied for my first set of honours exams. I then ran straight back home to volunteer in Aberdeen Council's Archaeology Department for a few days, and I've found on my few days off that I just want time to relax. Nevertheless I've still been updating on my Instagram - which brings me back to my end of the month round up looking at all the photos that I've shared. More blog posts are currently being written and scheduled, so we'll be back to a more regular posting schedule here in the next few weeks - including a look back at my third year, some favourites and OOTDs.

If that's not enough for you, then be sure to have a look over on my instagram which I try to keep updated every few days, as well as my facebook page - which is still a baby, so please be nice!

1. I started my May with a throwback post to last summer with a photo of a bramble cocktail I had whilst visiting my brother in Leominster. I wrote all about it here - it was a great week and in the midst of exams I couldn't stop thinking back to the relaxing days in the English sunshine with some tasty drinks, food and great company. 
2. I then took my first of many - and I mean many - trips back up North to Aberdeen. Being early for my train, a usual occurrence for me, I noticed the beautiful dome in Edinburgh station and couldn't help sharing a snap of it. 
3. It was then my lil sister's birthday - she's just turned 19 so we celebrated by ordering in a Chinese, having some vino and playing some games. All very chilled, but perfect for a break from exam revision and a lovely day with the family.
4. We were then treated to a little break from the rain and had some sunshine. I took the opportunity - because these are rare in Scotland - to study out in the meadows. There's something about being surrounded by nature and bathing in the sunshine that really makes revision all that more bearable. 
5. My mum and dad celebrated their 32nd wedding anniversary this month, so I shared their wedding photo where they are fresh faced and looking beautiful. My parents inspire me so much, and encourage me in every step of my life so sending them a little extra love on their anniversary was called for. After all they're the ones who have made me such a hopeless romantic!
6. Another sunny day in Edinburgh where our beautiful architecture was offset against the blue background.
   
7. I then celebrated the 21st birthdays of two of my gorgeous friends, at none other than Edinburgh Zoo! Of course sneaking off to visit some of the animals was on the cards and we got to see the penguins at penguin rock. Now penguins are some of my favourite animals so seeing them without the usual crowds was incredible - and the venue itself was awesome being set in beautiful grounds and surrounded by all the animals. 
8. And here's a group shot of me with the happy bunch - what's more to say other than they all look beautiful? Oh, maybe that I should always wear my heels or else I'll end up looking like the wee dumpling in the middle. 
9. This snap of a dandelion was a spur of the moment when I noticed that a lot of the river bank was covered in them. The child in me screamed out for me to make a wish and how can I resist? 
   
10. I was invited along to a VIP evening at All Bar One last week, for a night of cocktails and canopes. I think the less I say about the event the better as it was definitely not as advertised - if you're curious have a read of Louise's post about it here. Saying that I did get to make an awesome Aperol Spritz cocktail with peroni  - bring on Italy where I can fully get my aperol fix over summer!
11. Despite what I've said above, I did really like the decor inside All Bar One and have made it my goal in life to have a house that's big enough to have a wall of alcohol that needs a ladder to reach it all.
12. And finally, another shot of some beautiful flowers that I saw on one of my many dog walks around the river. I do love the flowers that come out in summer - it just brightens my mood!

Well this month has been a busy one, with not much to show for it. Exam stress is high at the moment, anyone else feel like no matter how much they work they do it's never enough?  The library has become my home, and I've laid my claim on a specific seat. With only two more weeks of exams, the end is in sight. Should be doable right? If the blog front is a little quiet in the meantime, you can only expect that I've been suffocated in a pile a books and succumbed to my fate.

Despite this, I did have some good moments in the month of April. I officially finished all the teaching and essay deadlines of third year. This in itself scares me, as I am so not ready to enter my last year of my undergrad, but the thought of a summer abroad (hello 9 weeks of sun) and a bit of a break from deadlines has me beyond excited. I also spent a few days childminding, which was a lovely break away from the mundane routine of university, and let me have some fun, letting out my inner child.

So onto the main title of this post, here is my April in pictures from my instagram!



1. I celebrate the last day of the term with a trip to my all time favourite Peters Yard. I've posted many mouth watering photos and even a blog post (Check out here) before, but this crayfish sandwich was the ultimate treat. And too picture perfect.
2. I acted as "archaeology ambassador" for a couple of school open days, and as a reward for my work - guiding tours up and down our 6 floors- I was given Blackwells vouchers. Do I go for academic books, or treat myself? What a hard choice. Book reviews will be following, as I work my way through my wee pile, but I've really enjoyed reading something that isn't an academic jour al for a change.
3. I was working my way through essay deadlines when Easter Sunday came and went, so my family were super cute and saved the Easter eggs for when I came home the following week. We're a little to old for the usual hunt, but we were still spoilt with lots of treats.
4. I wrote up my first ever favourites post last month - which you can check out here - and loved reviewing my month. Expect to see another one in the next few days, recapping all my April favourites too!
5. When I'm at home I spend a lot of time with my doggy Alfie, and this little candid shot with him was too adorable not to share. He's super affectionate, and although the slobbery kisses are gross, I do love him for it.
6. As I said, I was childminding at the start of the month. We had a lot of fun, doing different activities - and if you're interested at all Lewis vlogged the whole holidays, and I feature here and there in a couple! Check them out here. A big highlight was a trip to Aberdeen's theme park Codona's. The day was heaps of fun, and I was dizzy and light headed from the amount of times we went on the waltzers and the drop ride, but loved every minute.
7. This month I've changed my hair around a lot. And it all began with dying it peroxide blonde. It was a big change, but I found that I really liked it, despite thinking I looked like a barbie doll when I caught myself in the mirror.


8. I was home over the easter holiday, which was a lot colder than I thought it would be for this time of year (anyone else confused by the snow?). Despite the dull days, I still loved taking walks along the river.
9. Another selfie to show off my blonde hair!
10. I did a throwback to this amazing chocolate milkshake that I had at Bills, you can see the blog post here.


 11. I had another concert this month, this time I was at the Hydro to see 5 Seconds of Summer. I have loved these boys for years now, and loved every minute of shouting the lyrics, chanting at the boys and singing along to 500 miles.
12. As I said, I did a lot with my hair this month. And the final change - which I'm sitting here with - was dying it back to purple. I loved it when I dyed it in October, so wanted to give it another shot, and have been rocking it since.
13. I finally got round to (read as procrastination method) hanging up all my travel snaps that came in the Cheerz 'boite'. Here's my review from months back showing all the boxes that Cheerz were kind enough to send me, if you fancy a nosey!
14.  I was treated to a lunch at Revolution Bar this week, where I stuffed my face in their new menu. This brownie was a delightful end to the meal. Keep an eye out for my review later this week.



15. And finally it wouldn't be my instagram without at least one photo of my cute little pup Alfie. And here he is this month, playing peak a boo in the daffodils, and looking as gorgeous as always.

So that's my round up of the month. lots of photos despite the many many library days. Let me know how your April was, filled with exam prep or did you get to enjoy an easter break?

Catch up on all my April posts:
March Lifestyle Favourites
A Day in Glasgow | Little Mix Get Weird Concert
Review | Randomise

Be sure to say hi over on instagram too!

Lots of love,
Emily
xxx

And so another month has ended and a new one is beginning. We're into April, how mad is that!? I don't know about you, but I'm quite looking forward to April. I have a couple of weeks off of uni, where I'll be child minding then I'll have begin the dreaded revision for the oh too soon exams. However, I do love how April is officially Spring. I know March should be the start of Spring, and granted we have had some nice days, but April should hopefully allow me to shed my winter jumpers and maybe stop wearing boots every other day.

It's March, which means we're into Spring! I'm so excited by this fact - Spring is such a lovely month, and I've begun to appreciate it so much more now that I'm at uni. Although March is bringing with it lots of deadlines and stress, the warmer weather and sunshine makes everything seem better. But now that its the end of February its time for a wee round up of February, with all my instagram pictures. 

1. I uploaded a post about my Oliver Bonas Carya Stick Howlite Bangle at the start of February, which you can check out if you haven't already. I got this bracelet for Christmas and have worn it almost every day since. 
2. I went home for a weekend which involved many a dog walk at the beach. Still recovering from the storm, there were lots of tree stumps washed up such as this one. 
3. On that same dog walk, the wind was incredible and we could hardly move when we faced into it. So naturally, we posed to take a photo. 
4. I did a wee throwback post from almost three years ago when my doggy Alfie was just a little pup and he used to lie on me using my bum as a head rest. 
5. Another throwback of my pup Alfie from the first day he came home. It was just one of those days when I couldn't stop thinking about that mischievous chap.
6. I celebrated my blog turning 2 years old with a post explaining what I've learnt from my last two years of blogging. I am still blown away by the support I've received over the years and love every opportunity that its brought with it. So thank you to everyone who reads, follows or comments - you guys rock. 
7. I went to a cabaret night at Edinburgh's Jazz Bar, which involved lots music and dancing and was a pretty fab night. Of course we had to take some snaps and I love this one of me and my two friends as we enjoyed the night. 
8. I had a week off uni, so naturally spent some of it at home. While there I went on many a dog walk (as you could have guessed). This picture of Alfie in the snow is from valentines day, as he was my valentines for this year. 
9. The first snow fall of the year meant that I was taking lots of photos. I loved this one from the Old Deeside Railway Line where the winter berries are still out. 
10. The river is one of my favourite places to be when I'm home. This trip home was a very chilly one, with lots of snow fall (which was a real treat since we didn't get at Christmas) and everything looked so peaceful, but icy.
11. The second half of my week was spent in London, visiting my brother and sister. We spent most of the days and evenings having a drink - some more sophisticated than others. This little artsy shot that I took was from a pub at Parsons Green, which felt like a scene right out of Made In Chelsea!
12. We also made an effort to go to see a theatre show, and settle on The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time. It was an incredible show, with all the actors giving such great performances. I'm in the process of getting a blog review up of it for anyone who is considering seeing it.
13. This London snap was from the start of the London adventure. My sister and I were too excited to begin all the activities that we had planned, which I think you can see by our expressions. 
14. I am a huuuge food lover, there is no denying it, and I was in my element in London with all the amazing food options to try. I'm composing a food diary as we speak, but this snap was from Bill's in Putney where we had an amazing brunch. 
15. One of the main things I wanted to do in London was make a return visit to the British Museum. I knew what to expect after visiting in December, but had specific rooms that I wanted to target, especially the Lindow Man which was as awesome as I thought he would be. 
16. And finally, while I was in London my sister and I stayed true to our bet and got some piercings. I have been longing for a nose piercing for years (my girl crush on Perrie Edwards has fuelled this desire majorly) and with the help of Holly and Becca I took the plunge. I feel pretty rockstar with the piercing now, and have decided that I'll be chopping my hair off as soon as my fringe grows out a bit more. 

As its the end of the first month of the year - I know, how!? - i thought I'd start a little round up post of my instagram pictures from the month! I might actually make this a weekly thing, considering I did promise to do daily instagram posts in my New Years Resolutions post and I have majorly failed that one already, this might encourage me to post more. We can hope, right!

Its the feature of everyone's blogs at the moment, so really why should I be any different? Its a new year and that means a new batch of resolutions. On Hogmanay I wrote about how I felt I'd done with my 2015 resolutions, so taking that on board and seeing where I could improve again, here are my 2016 ones.

1. Take all opportunities head on - don't hesitate and over think. 
   This one should be applied not only at the start of a new year, but is something that I really want to tackle this year. Over 2015 I found myself getting more and more confident, so this year why not take that confidence to meet new people, experience new things and challenge myself.
2. Post at least once a week
   I love my blog and I want to see it grow more. So here's my commitment to try to  post every week. I'm going to get some more diversity into Under The Scottish Rain and hopefully appeal to many more of you lovely lot! And here's your opportunity to let me know what you want to see here. I'd love to have some suggestions or inspiration for these next 52 (at least) posts!
3. Post daily on Instagram
   If you haven't already noticed, I've been trying to up my instagram game. When I looked at my 'best nine' of the year I discovered that I'd posted approx 150 posts in a whole year. So I'm making a promise to get a snap up every day. Whether this happens or not is another thing, but I do have the ambition to!
4. Get active
   For second year I joined the University's gym. After an expensive summer away, and lots of valuables to replace, I decided to pinch my pennies and save them for more essential things - like food or bills. But I then found this semester that I have done nothing. So I've found a wee work out routine that I want to do at least 3 times a week, to help me get healthy again and to make me feel more energised. 
5. Sell myself
   You've possibly seen on my instagram or twitter that I've been accepted as Student Life's newest writer. As I said in point 1, I want to push myself and expand my horizons, so when I saw an advert for a writer on this brill website I took the bull by the horns. I want to try and branch out this year and to do that I need to sell myself to get these opportunities.
   On top of this, I'm planning to try and get involved in more degree related things. That means I'll be boasting about what experience I do have and trying to wangle myself into new positions that will help me later in life.
6. Vlog?
   Another that follows on from point 1 and 5, I want to try something new. And since I've become quite comfortable with Under The Scottish Rain, I want to go into yet another social branch and see where this can take me. I'm yet to make a channel, but after attempting to vlog for vlogmas and actually managing that but failing to edit and upload, I figured that I should ease myself slowly into it. So I'm not promising weekly or even monthly, but I'm planning to vlog any exciting days I have (not that I have many planned) as well as my whole summer abroad. SO watch this place! 

Well August is here! I think I say the same thing every month- where has the time gone! Now that I'm back onto instagram and slowly getting back into the swing of posting, I thought I'd share the pictures on here for those not following. And if that's you, I'd love if you gave me a follow by clicking this link.