Sunday, December 3, 2017

Life Lately

Well hello there! It's Sunday! Hurrah! Life is good! I put my Christmas tree up today and have had Michael Buble on loop so I'm in a great mood if you hadn't guessed. Today's post interrupts our Paris posts (don't worry they'll still be coming thick and fast this week) to bring you a diary style post! It's been a while since I've put one of these together, hasn't it? November and December have been busy ole months so I thought I'd fill you in on some of the things I've been up to so far. 

The Little Magpie Malmaison Hotel Glasgow Christmas Dinner The Little Magpie Malmaison Hotel Glasgow Christmas Dinner The Little Magpie Malmaison Hotel Glasgow Christmas Dinner The Little Magpie Malmaison Hotel Glasgow Christmas Dinner The Little Magpie Malmaison Hotel Glasgow Christmas Dinner The Little Magpie Malmaison Hotel Glasgow Christmas Dinner The Little Magpie Malmaison Hotel Glasgow Christmas Dinner The Little Magpie Malmaison Hotel Glasgow Christmas Dinner The Little Magpie Malmaison Hotel Glasgow Christmas Dinner The Little Magpie Malmaison Hotel Glasgow Christmas Dinner
So, most importantly, I had my first Christmas meal of the season. I like to get as many in as I possibly can (bring on the turkey) and this one just so happened to be at the lovely Malmaison hotel in Glasgow. I'd never ever stayed in one of their hotels before - although I had always heard good things, especially from my Mam who's a big fan - so I was excited to go and in and see whassup for myself. The rooms are all incredibly quirky and ours was actually split over two floors which is a novelty I'll never get used to. We sat and chilled for a bit, read a book and ate some of the welcome chocolates they'd brought us (it's important to stretch your stomach before a Christmas meal) before heading down for some dinner around 8. And it was lovely! We had a wee festive cocktail - or two - to start and then it was time to move onto the main event. As you probably know from how often I bang on about it, I'm gluten intolerant and they honestly went over and above to make sure I was looked after! I had the pâté with chutney and bread to start (seriously tasty, I love me a good pâté) and then a huge huge Christmas dinner made up of turkey, proscuitto, cranberry & orange stuffing, roast potatoes, parsnips and carrots. All the good stuff. The restaurant has very low, atmospheric lighting and is home to the most beautiful bar so it's a nice wee venue for some festive fun if you're after someone nice for a Christmas meal this month! 

The Little Magpie Viktor and Rolf Costwolds trip Thyme Christmas The Little Magpie Viktor and Rolf Costwolds trip Thyme Christmas
Has anyone ever looked so happy to be decorating a Christmas tree?
The Little Magpie Viktor and Rolf Costwolds trip Thyme Christmas The Little Magpie Viktor and Rolf Costwolds trip Thyme Christmas The Little Magpie Viktor and Rolf Costwolds trip Thyme Christmas The Little Magpie Viktor and Rolf Costwolds trip Thyme Christmas The Little Magpie Viktor and Rolf Costwolds trip Thyme Christmas The Little Magpie Viktor and Rolf Costwolds trip Thyme Christmas The Little Magpie Viktor and Rolf Costwolds trip Thyme Christmas The Little Magpie Viktor and Rolf Costwolds trip Thyme Christmas The Little Magpie Viktor and Rolf Costwolds trip Thyme Christmas
Photos by Kyle Galvin

I also spent a couple of days down in The Cotswolds with my absolute favourites, the lovely Viktor & Rolf. The bottles, the smell, their ad campaigns... I love everything they do. They completely spoiled us (seriously, I'm not sure how my actual Christmas is going to live up to it) with Christmas tree decorating, four - four! - incredible meals as well as our own little pretend Christmas morning with a toy train, hot chocolate stall and personalised stockings. Ooh, and a festive baking class which, I'm ashamed to say, I was really... not.... great at. Seriously though, what an amazing, magical couple of days with a truly lovely team!

The Little Magpie Malmaison Hotel Glasgow Christmas Dinner The Little Magpie Malmaison Hotel Glasgow Christmas Dinner The Little Magpie Malmaison Hotel Glasgow Christmas Dinner The Little Magpie Malmaison Hotel Glasgow Christmas Dinner
I also had a wee charity ball up in Aberdeen with VSA; a social care charity who do a whole lot in the Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire area to help those who are vulnerable by uniting lots of local charities in order to do the most effective work they possible can. This particular year had a heavy focus on their mental health services, a field they've done some amazing work in so far, and a Willy Wonky themed ball was thrown to raise money as much money as possible! They completely went over and above with Wonka Bars on every table, an Oompa Loompa dance show, colourful 'fizzy lifting juice' prosecco and so, so much more. There was a raffle, a silent auction and an open auction, as well as lots of wee games throughout the night to try and raise as much money as possible. In the end a grand total of £109k was raised ,which will all go towards providing support and care for those in need, which is absolutely incredible. If you'd like to read a little bit more about the amazing VSA and everything they've done so far, as well as how you yourself can help, then you can do so here. 

Amy

Post contains content sponsored by the lovely Malmaison