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. 

Today I thought I'd compile a little list of my current favourite TV shows. As a student who loves to procrastinate by watching catch up tv shows all day long, I feel this is a good post to share and potentially make you aware of some programmes that are just too good to miss.


Emily
xxx

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Friday the 12th marked the second birthday of this little blog. Two years seems like a crazy amount of time, and at the same time, it doesn't feel like long at all. I never thought I'd keep it up this long - when I started blogging it was something to pass the time and focus my mind on instead of feeling homesick. I feel my blog has grown along with me, and I'm no longer the same person as I was two years ago. My confidence has grown, I feel settled, I love my degree and feel very content with where I am in my life (don't get me started on looking to post-graduation future though). So its only natural that this blog has developed and seen some changes over the years.



It's always great to see a new comment on a post, more reads, or a new follower, and watching my blog grow over the last year has made me so happy and proud. I was finally able to tell people about it, and no longer feel embarrassed to say that blogging is my hobby! I wrote a post back when I attempted blogmas about why I blog, and it basically was a long ramble about all the things that make me happy with my blog, as well as some of the worries and fears that come with it. So instead of reflecting in the same way, I thought it would be better to compose a list of all the things I've learnt over these two years, I'd love to hear if you agree with all the points, and I hope it makes any newbie bloggers feel good about what they're doing too.

1. Blogging about what you're passionate about comes across in your post - I much prefer writing and reading posts that mean a lot to the person writing it, as its more sincere and your enthusiasm comes across.
2. Not all posts are going to do well - sometimes it can be heart breaking to see a post that you put effort in to not do as well as you thought, but what counts is that you put it out there and can learn what appeals to your audience. 
3. View counts do not matter. Okay, yes there is importance on viewers for growing your blog but ultimately if you're blogging for yourself then the fact people are reading it is just a big bonus!
4. Don't compare yourself to others. It's really hard not to do it, but it never helps. I've spent too many times wondering why someone has more followers or more views or whatever, but what I've learnt is the key is everyone progresses at their own rate. And sometimes it takes longer to grow than other people, but constantly comparing yourself to others will just bring you down.
5. The blogging community is a great place. It's totally something that I haven't taken advantage of enough. Blogger chats on twitter are great ways to pass the evenings, using hashtags and commenting on instagram posts. You'll find your most loyal readers in the blogging community and make some great friends too. 
6. Promote yourself, if you do care about people reading your blog, you've got to spread the word. Hastags, RTs, shares. Every little helps to get some more views, so don't be afraid to share your posts with the world. As I've already said, the blogging community are really supportive and will read what you share.
7. Don't be afraid to ask for help. There's been some posts where I knew the photography was off, or the content didn't quite hit the mark, but I still shared them anyway with the intention of improving. I admitted to not fully knowing what I was doing (who ever does) and received some really helpful comments and feedback that helped me improve for the next post. 

I thought as a good way back into the blogging scene I'd start to write a few 'focus' posts on some of the products / items that I love. Many of which are Christmas presents, that I've been wearing or using non stop since December 25th.

The first of this brand / product focus posts I wanted to do was Oliver Bonas. I've fallen in love with Oliver Bonas after my sister introduced me to the shop in Putney. Now, I've been scrolling through their online shop and have scouted out their Edinburgh store to satisfy my window shopping needs.

Oliver Bonas has a wide range of products, for all you who are searching for that 'perfectly pinterest' gift or item that adds a quirk to your room. From books to furniture and clothing to jewellery, this store has it all. I was over the moon to be given a bracelet as a gift from my sister and brother this Christmas.



As you'll be aware if you've read my blog over the past couple of years, I am a huge lover of ancient stuff - archaeology is my passion, and with that comes a little geek heart flutter every time I see something modelled from something from the past. After spending my summer surrounded in all things Roman, I fell in love with replica torcs, and desperately wanted one that didn't scream tourist or knock off.

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!