B is for Blogging!

What else could the letter B really stand for?!

I started this blog (under another name!) way back in 2010 and posted once. This was followed by an equally abysmal two posts in 2011, and it wasn't till 2012 that I started posting regularly! My posts were essentially condensed essays, discussing my favourite tv shows, and I never really thought blogging would change my life in any significant way.

For the first few months of 2012 (during which I started my YouTube channel too!) I posted on my blog every week. By the middle of the year though I had let things slide, and I didn't record a video or upload a post for months (I'm not entirely sure why either!). When I made the decision to go to Australia last December though, I realised I wanted to blog more regularly in the lead up to my travels, so that I was already in the habit of uploading posts when I went on my adventure. I wanted to document it all here, and I'm so glad that I did.

My wee Kangaroo pal - isn't he sweet!?

My little corner of the internet had about four followers (three of whom were my real life friends!) for a really, really long time. It seriously blows my mind to see that there are now almost 200 of you here on GFC, over 200 on Bloglovin', and that my little rambles here have had over 30,000 page views - it's insane! Blogging itself can sound like such an isolated thing - sitting at home typing away on your computer, but I can't believe what amazing friends I have made doing this. I met my lovely friend Gemma through YouTube last spring - who would have thought a year and a half later I'd have been at her engagement party, had regular pizza express dinners (with regular glasses of wine!) and even have worked alongside her during an internship. Through the many Scottish blogger events I've attended over the past eighteen months, I have met so many lovely people, some of whom I now speak to literally every day (you know who you are ;)). We're even going off on a wee weekend adventure in the autumn which I officially cannot wait for.

I've also been lucky enough to go along to some really lovely events, which I never expected would be the case back in 2010 when I wrote that one rambly post! From product launches to afternoon teas, I have enjoyed and appreciated every single one.

Not only that, but blogging in terms of reading other blogs has had such an impact on me! I'm not going to start listing all of my favourite blogs (we could be here for a while!), but if you've been reading mine for any length of time you'll know that I will forever have an attachment to Sprinkle of Glitter. Louise was one of the people who made me want to start blogging and making YouTube videos in the first place, so a huge big thank you to her :) I now get all of my product recommendations from bloggers whose opinions I trust. I might think an ad campaign for the new YSL mascara looks amazing, but I sure won't buy it until I've done a bit of research on the old blogosphere!

Blogging gives me a place to chat away about whatever I feel like at the time, and I love that. Twitter chats get me in touch with people from across the globe who have similar interests, and the joy of seeing that little red notification saying ''comment awaiting moderation'' when I log on to my account never ever ceases to put a smile on my face. So if you're thinking of starting a blog, I say do it. Seriously. You never know what could happen or who you might meet. And, failing that, you'll always have a space to share the things that you love/are passionate about, which is an amazing thing.

So that's why B is for blogging! What would you choose from your life to write a post on the letter B?!

Thanks so much for reading :)

A is for Aviemore!

Loch Morlich throughout the years (aged 4-23)

I'm really pleased that the first post in my A-Z of me series is such a special one. The letter A has to stand for Aviemore, a village in the Highlands of Scotland which feels like a home from home to me. Until the age of about thirteen, I visited Aviemore with my parents and brother twice, sometimes even three times a year, and there is nowhere else in the world that means as much to me as it does.

Up at the Cairngorms, and at the Wildlife Park (about fifteen years apart!)

From the little village main street to the very top of the Cairngorm mountains, there isn't a place here that doesn't have lovely memories for me. My two favourite places in the entire world are here - the Highland Wildlife Park, and Loch Morlich (both photographed multiple times above). There are literally so many photographs of my brother and me here throughout our entire childhood, and (while I doubt he'd be happy with me uploading any that include him - hoping I can get away with the couple of snaps at Loch Morlich above!)it's so lovely to have my entire life documented in photos from this part of the world. Every year we would go to the Wildlife Park and the Landmark Centre (another amazing park in the forest), go for long walks in the gorgeous woodland and spend hours at a time skimming stones at the lochs. There was even a place called... wait for it... Santa Claus Land! It was, as you can imagine, paradise when we were kids.

Visiting in all seasons!

As you can probably see, we visited in every season, in every type of weather, from the coldest winters and freak spring snow blizzards to hot (by UK standards anyway) summers and beautiful, crisp autumns. Going back in my late teens and then again last autumn made me realise how much I miss being there regularly, and how calm and peaceful I feel standing at the side of the loch, or one of the rivers. I feel so lucky to have this place in my life, and have spent so much time there with my family. Looking back, they were such idyllic holidays and I can honestly say that I can't imagine that trips abroad would have brought me half as much joy as a child as packing up the car twice a year and driving the two hours (which, as kids, felt like an eternity!) north to spend a few days at a time in such a beautiful part of Scotland.

Clockwise - Throwing coins in the Wildlife Park wishing well with my mum (aged 1), at the Wildlife Park (aged 17), sitting by the river (aged 17), and having a walk in the forest (aged 23).

So thanks so much to my mum and dad for choosing such a perfect location for a home from home. I'm sure it won't be too long before we are back there again <3