A Yellow Summers Dress In The Highlands

Hey everyone, how are you all today? Did you have a good weekend? Do anything or nothing... You can catch up with my goings on over on Instagram. I went and seen Grease at the Kings Theatre in Glasgow last Wednesday with Chris. It was soo good! It's one of, if not my most favourite musical! I used to watch it on repeat all the time, as well as maybe knowing all the words off by heart? There are a few photos on my Instagram if you want a little nosy. Also, if you would like proper outfit post/photos then please let me know in the comments here or on Instagram. I know I've been MIA for quite a few months but I'm not going to talk about it too much right now. I just want to talk about my outfit and what I have been to in the last week or so.

A few years ago Chris' parents booked a cabin in Arrach. The first time they went with their parents & we just visited for the day. Along with other members of Chris' family, who can say no to beautiful sites & a try of a hot tub! The first post I did was I'll Meet You At The Bridge all the way back in 2013! So excuse the quality of everything... Then the following year (the year we got married! 2014) they booked another wee break last minute! Luckily for us, we were invited up again for the day. It's such a great opportunity for outfit photos & photography. Plus its nice to be able to go out and explore, if you want to know more in detail about what we got up to, what I wore and to see the beautiful sites take a look at my post Losing Myself In Argyll, Scotland. So that will give you a bit of a back story of where I'm going with this...

As you can see, we have a slight love for the ol'Scottish cabin holiday... We aren't the only ones though, the whole family enjoys them! So last year Chris' Gran decided to treat the whole family and take us back here again. I think it was around this same time last year? I could be right or wrong here, I've no idea! Well, I was super excited! Everyone together, I would get to cuddle the babies, plenty of good food & a bbq on the cards! We can never be too sure about the weather though, I was just excited about the food mostly... So to set the weekend off we ended up going to Amarettos, which I've talked about many times before and shared food photos on my Instagram. Then as we were walking towards the car I started to get these sharp pains in my abdomen, being of the female kind, I just put it down to being that time of the month. So off we head, a convoy of about 4 cars? One after the other.

This cat actually just roamed freely around the village shop. She also belonged to the village postman and was called Jess! Super cute, I couldn't help but get some photos and cuddles! Her bed was on the counter next to the till.

As we continue along the journey my tummy starts to feel even worse & then it hits me. Im going to be sick. With nowhere to stop and going about 50 odd miles, I had to throw my head out the window and get on with it... As you can imagine, it was not a pretty picture and one of my least favourite memories of my life. So unfortunately, for the next 2-4 days I spent them in bed, in agony and running to the toilet every so often. I may have come out near the end, but I was worried about infecting everyone. Especially the wee babies! Still to this day, I've no idea what brought it on. Chris & I ate the same meals the few days before so I can't have food poisoned us, plus it doesn't work that quickly once you've just eaten. So it can't have been the meal. I assumed it was a bug, but no one caught it off me!

So that gets you all caught up on where I'm going with this! We were then invited down for a night when they booked and when it was coming closer to the date. So of course we were up for that, can't say no to a hot tub can we? A few weeks ago I then ended up in hospital for a wee while (detailed post coming soon). So after that happening and not being able to enjoy the last trip, I think they felt that we both needed a wee trip away (& fattening up, especially me!). Which, Chris & I also agreed would be good for the both of us. With some great food once again, the chance of some sun & beautiful views. A relaxed weekend just before I returned to work was just what I needed! So thanks again Cammy & Suzy!

Dress- Next
Shoes- Converse
Glasses- Missguided (sale)
Bag- Skinny Dip (sale)
Lipstick- Topshop in Shoal

Outfit Details

As I knew it was going going to be a casual weekend, with the possibility of walking, I wanted to be pretty comfy and prepared for the sun. On the second day we decided to go exploring because it was a beautiful day, I'm sure you can see from the photography I shot. I didn't even plan for outfit photos, but when I seen this stunning backdrop I couldn't not! Everything matched pretty well so I didn't waste the opportunity. Plus who really knows when I'll be back here? The dress is a very pretty summery yellow, with flowers all over. I thought it would go great with my comfy red cons. Before we went we knew on the last day we would be going out, Sunday/last day tradition! So I made sure to pack my cute little black bag. I used my backpack on the journey down, packed with all my crap. So I kept with in the same family of tones with my sunglasses & lipstick. I also wanted to add to the girlyness & cuteness with the dress, so I added some frilly white socks!

What do you think of the outfit, what would you do differently? Is seeing the scottish countryside on your to do list? Where would you like to visit! Let me know in the comments below, I'd love to chat to you guys.

Happy Birthday 5ft Life

So today marks the day that I officially created this blog & started over. For any of you who has been here since the beginning, then you will know how I first started out. As a gawky 17-year-old, I created Addictions to Shopping, a fashion blog. The name was more about tongue & cheek, rather than a serious problem. My mum, who was still here at the time, used to always moan about how much I bought & how I had a problem. When in reality, I bought no more than the average girl at that age, with her first part-time job with her own money. All I wanted to do was take photos of my outfits, with the hopes of inspiring others. Hopefully give someone the confidence to wear what they wanted.

As I got older, the blogging world changed, as did my hobbies & interests. I also decided to start creating videos and posting those online also. As I grew as a person I began to feel I had more than just style to share, not that there's anything wrong with that. Plus I wanted to influence people in other ways, share my views and continue to inspire people. Now I know I still haven't posted or shared as much as I've wanted too, but I'm not letting that phase me anymore. I blog when and where I can. Sometimes when it's busy at work, I'm pretty much working full time as well as having adult life to catch up with on the weekend. So this year, my focus will be more on planning and using my time more efficiently. I think it's great to have a schedule, but I don't want to fill up so much that I become overwhelmed and hide in a dark, dingy hole somewhere...

Something else I want to focus on this year is the variety of content I am putting out there. I've mentioned many times how I'm a foodie, I enjoy trying new restaurants just as much as I enjoy throwing something together myself. So I want to share that with you guys, try to change it up just a little bit more than I am right now. I have to say, I am very excited about where this year is going to take me blogging/social media wise.  I've already seen my Instagram & youtube community growing more and attracting interest, so it just goes to show what a little bit of hard work can do! That's the great thing about all of this though, when I am creating & working on my blog pieces, it doesn't feel like work... I love all of this so much.

Something else I want to focus on this year is the variety of content I am putting out there. I've mentioned many times how I'm a foodie, I enjoy trying new restaurants just as much as I enjoy throwing something together myself. So I want to share that with you guys, try to change it up just a little bit more than I am right now. I have to say, I am very excited about where this year is going to take me blogging/social media wise.  I've already seen my Instagram & youtube community growing more and attracting interest, so it just goes to show what a little bit of hard work can do! That's the great thing about all of this though, when I am creating & working on my blog pieces, it doesn't feel like work... I love all of this so much.

It's just a short & sweet post today. I just wanted to highlight the day and re-introduce myself back into posting again. It's only been a few months but its nice to say Hi again! Some of these photos are favourite shots, favourite posts and some memorable memories. So heres to creating more, seeing new places, trying new restaurants/food & hotels as well as watching new films! Speak soon.

Original Posts

Grunge Revolution

A Casual Halloween In Autumn

Hotel Review

Overnight for Wedding Anniversary

London, July 2014

Losing Myself in Argyll Scotland

Hotel Review- Lodge on Loch Lomond

Image not owned by me. Source here

About

Positioned in Scotland's beautiful countryside, next to Luss, which has been known to be the prettiest village in Scotland. The hotel was open in March 1992 and went on to have further renovations in 1996 & 2005. There're many golf clubs located close by as well as the airport only being about 20 minutes away. You can also go walking & do an outdoor sport, as the hotel has partnered with local activity groups. The hotel has also had two US Presidents stay.

Experience
As soon as we arrived, we went straight to the receptionist to get checked in as we wanted to organise ourselves. There was only one person on, but after waiting a few minutes we were seen too as two other young ladies came out. Whether it was due to a queue building, or finishing their break I do not know! As we had booked ours through a wowcher deal (sign up for some crackers! I'm not sponsored to say this), we needed to give them a reference code but as it was our anniversary gift from Chris' parents I didn't have to hand. So we were told this was fine, just let them know on check out. This saved a lot of embarrassing faffing about! As with most hotels, we had to swipe a card, so just be warned, it does show on your statement that money has been taken out. They were really great and friendly when I called up to enquire about this a few days after the stay. Check in was very quick so we were off to our room in no time.

When we got to the room I unpacked everything and got us organised, but I had an enquiry. So I just used the phone to call the receptionists, which was answered very quickly & politely. Although, unfortunately, later that evening we called at least 5 or 10 minutes before closing time and the phone rang out! So we felt as if we had been ignored. Which actually leads me onto why we needed to call them in the first place. Being the technology, fast wifi hungry gremlins that we are, brought our laptops. Just in case. Even though I never even attempted to go on my laptop, Chris (my husband) couldn't even get a connection. He wasn't even able to detect any internet, nevermind actually getting onto an internet page. So that was a bit of a letdown. If you are hoping for some good internet access, I wouldn't hold my breath for here! Looking back, I should have tried connecting just in case it was his laptop having issues. But I highly doubt it. A lot of these places have a shared internet access for everyone, so it's harder to connect due to the amount of traffic.

So it was just normal t.v for us that night! The bed was super comfy & warm! A proper, sink in and snuggle type of bed. These are my favourites in hotels, you just want that little bit of extra when you're away don't you? The next day, check out went just as smoothly as check in.

Rooms & Prices

All rooms include T.V, radio, Wi-Fi, Tea/Coffee making station, hairdryer, iron & ironing board, telephone, 24-hour room service and a wake-up call (on request).

Classic Grahams £80pp

A traditionally lodged style room, which is located in the original lodge building above Colquhoun's restaurant & bar. There is a shower as well as a bath, either twin or double beds. You also get a double seated sofa which is ideal for watching the tv. 

Executive Munros £90pp

A more modern style room, with just the right amount of Scottish touches (a fellow scot can handle), which is located in the newer leisure/swimming pool building. The room is similar to the Graham rooms in terms of size & facilities. Although, these rooms have an open planned bathroom!

Deluxe Corbetts £100pp
Same comfort as the Grahams room but slightly bigger in size. Located in the main lodged building with balconies that have breathtaking views of the loch. If you choose this room, you also get your own private sauna as well as a larger bath tub. Some come with a sofa bed, so let them know at the booking if you would like this.

Cuillin Suite £120pp
A suite that includes two bedrooms with double beds & decent sized living room. The larger of the two rooms has an en-suite with a toilet, shower and a bath. In these rooms, it's the living room that opens up to the balcony. Although it opens onto a car park, you still get to enjoy the stunning panoramic views of the loch.

Carter Suite £120pp
The Carter Suite, which was a favourite of President Jimmy Carter, is pretty much the same as the Cuillin Suite. Some of the differences are; the sauna is slightly bigger as well as the balcony.

Travis Suite £214pp
Just newly opened, it has more of a modern design than the "lodged style" the hotel has previously gone for. There is only one bedroom with this suite, but you do get a much larger living space than the other rooms provide. The bed, however, is a lovely king size four poster bed! The colour scheme for this room is also entirely different from the usual oranges previously used.

Facilities

16m Swimming Pool

Jacuzzi

Steam Room

Sauna/Laconium

Personal Thoughts

The surroundings & views are spectacular! I think for the views alone, a stay here would definitely be recommended, especially if you have never been to Scotland before. It is rated as a 4* hotel, but I personally think the decor maybe needs a little updating. It just seems a little tired which is a shame as there is so much going for the place! As I said, the views alone can sell this place, as well as the location. They have recently just launched their new suite, which from the photos, the decor looks incredible! So whether or not this is on the cards for the rest of the hotel, I've no idea. If they can get the rest of the rooms looking like the new suite, I think the hotel will have a lot more of a luxurious feel to it. Before we went I hadn't really seen any photos, so I was a bit worried about how much tartan and Scottish themes there would be. As a fellow, local Scot, I am proud of our tartan heritage but I don't want it everywhere. But, it was ok there was just enough tartan. We had an "Executive Munros" room which had a fantastic amount of space. But, the way it looks right now & the way the internet was, I'm not sure I would pay the full £90. In our wowcher deal, for £130 we had a 2-course meal for dinner (drinks weren't included), a room & breakfast for two. So with a little tweak here & there, a 4* luxurious hotel you will have!

Location

Luss, Argyll, Scotland

Rating

6/10

Lodge on the Loch Lomond Website

Colquhoun's Restaurant Review

Overnight for Wedding Anniversary

So heres my video I promised! I told you I would get it up, I hope you enjoy it. I really enjoy editing videos even though i'm a photographer, I actually hate editing photos! I just think that's really weird... Anyway, go watch the video.

Belgium Extra Footage

Hiya guys, so earlier this week I showed you my highlights from Belgium, if you haven't seen it already just go here to catch up. So, I also uploaded all the footage I did not include onto my vlog channel. I decided to just put all 3 videos into one post for you guys, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did looking back on it.

My Trip to Belgium

Hiya, I hope you enjoy watching this video! I think its my best editing yet! Ive also got all the behind the scenes on my vlog channel. Im also still waiting for nice weather to shoot what I wore for Valentines day! So hopefully the weather gods are good to us soon! For now you can enjoy this ;)