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It was drizzling when we got there so we took shelter in the old fashioned Bradford’s tea room and had toasted muffins. Yum!

So, three healthy eating goals? Um…

1. Make sure to drink enough. I drink a lot at work but I get distracted and tend to forget at the weekend.
2. Cut out the boredom eating. I snack a lot more on slow days at work than I do on my days off or when I’m rushed off my feet – I’m not really hungry; it’s just something to do while I wait for our web editor to load a page.
3. I suppose I could pull my weight a little more in the kitchen… *sigh*

Our adventures took us here:The Glasgow Vintage Co was our first stop and a good start – we both came away with purchases (mine was an 80s-does-50s style white and aqua dress, though I wish that green and orange one in the window would fit me!).Retro. We loved this place with its two floors of vintage frocks. The antiques place next door looked intriguing, too, but we were wary of having to walk around the city laden down with secondhand furniture so we didn’t go in! If you look closely, there’s a cat on the steps.Watermelon (I can’t find a website for them but they’re on Great Western Road). Lola got a fab green cord dress in here which might be a 70s maternity dress but is now her Sunday slobbing frock. I tried on a blouse with couples dancing all over it but was gutted to find it was too small.Starry Starry Night, which includes a little jewellery shop, too (again, no website, but it’s on Dowanside Lane which is a cute little mews where the following three shops, plus another antiques store and a sort of modern-vintage shop can all be found). It was crammed and interesting, with the changing room hidden behind a heap of clothing under the stairs – fun!Relics was amazing! It’s this tiny antiques shop which was so crammed full of stuff we could barely get around; there were piles and piles of boxes we couldn’t get at, meaning layers and layers of stuff nobody could see – but the stuff we could see was a fantastic mix of beautiful antiques and wonderfully kitsch tat. There were a bright yellow and a bright turquoise typewriter either or both of which I would have bought if I hadn’t had to carry them around the city for the rest of the day. I could have spent much, much longer in there than time allowed.

There was a little antiques shop across from it where I got a pack of Singer hand sewing needles with a Delia Smith recipe hand-scrawled on the back. Circa Vintage was lovely – bright and colourful and full of really well selected clothes. I got a black A-line skirt covered in bright red poppies and handmade from super-soft fabric. Across from Circa was a secondhand record store which seemed to be staffed by this ginger cat. He was awfully welcoming.

We had thought that was our lot so we caught the metro back into town (we were overly proud of ourselves for figuring it out, especially given that it’s just one big circle with no possibility of catching any wrong trains!) and went on a hunt for somewhere interesting to eat. We soon found the beautiful Lucky 7 and what should it be conjoined with but another vintage shop, Postcard? Hurrah!Of course, we didn’t go wandering around Glasgow only taking photos of vintage shops; I’ll be back tomorrow with the inevitable shots of ghost signs and random prettiness.

On Friday evening, Grampian Association of Storytellers held an Eastern themed evening in the most perfect venue: this furniture and rug shop in Stonehaven.

Some friends and I went along and spent hours listening to mystical tales, drinking apple tea and chomping dates. And the venue was amazing. Check it out:Also, this is set into the outside wall of the shop; anybody know what it is?

Today it was my turn (I dusted specially, you know…); head on over and check it out.

I openly admit: I’ve never been a huge fan of physical exertion. I managed to talk my way out of two solid years of sports classes at school and I got away with it by being one of those sickeningly lucky women who never put on weight. I’m not one of those sickeningly lucky women any more.

A few years ago I realised I was going to have to start moderating my hot chocolate intake and working up the occasional sweat. It was a struggle – I’m neither competitive nor cooperative enough for team sports and I knew I couldn’t motivate myself to exercise alone unless I actually found it enjoyable. So: no point joining a gym.

I discovered yoga… but I also discovered that all the yoga classes I could get to would involve getting off the sofa in the evening and working out with a stuffed stomach. My attendance was somewhat haphazard.

I loved dancing… but twirling on a dodgy leg wasn’t the best of ideas.

I walked four and a half miles home from work every evening… it kept me thin but breathing in dual carriageway fumes for forty-five minutes a day didn’t do much for my health.

But now that I work close to home things have changed: firstly, I need to do some exercise – I can’t rely on long walks home to keep me trim; secondly, working in the city centre, I can get to lunchtime yoga classes – I’ve really got no excuse not to; thirdly, coincidentally, my dodgy leg has now been more or less sorted and I’ve got a boyfriend who will put himself through dance classes for me. Exercise is very much back on my agenda – and now that I’m doing more of it, I’m finding myself actually enjoying the endorphin rush. In fact, I’m enjoying it so much I’ve invested in some totally shattering exercise games for the Wii – and I’m loving them.

So, three exercise goals? Okay, let’s see:

1. Exercise at least three times a week. Between classes and the Wii that’s a pretty modest target but I have crazy-busy weeks sometimes (like this one!) and I would rather feel proud when I exceed my goal than disillusioned when I just don’t have time to achieve it.
2. Remember that I’m doing this to get fit not to get thin. Weighing in on the Wii seems like an easy way to track progress but, although I’m not as slim as I used to be, I’m still a healthy weight for my height – it really doesn’t matter how many pounds I gain or lose if my strength, stamina and general all-round health are on the up. So: no checking my weight. Instead, because I know me and I know I need something to prove… something… to myself, I’m going to make a little chart to track how often I’m exercising.
3. This one’s only a little bit about me: play with Polly properly. She tolerates having me waggle a shoelace at her while I browse the internet with my other hand, but she prefers chasing bits of string from room to room to room and leaping over furniture. It will keep her fit but, also, it can’t do me any harm to be putting a little bit of effort into playing with her!

• Making a camera case which can be used as either a cushioned pouch inside my handbag or carried by itself:
  
  I’m quite proud of it as I made it up as I went along. And the fabric is kind of awesome.
• Wandering around the International Market with Steve and his parents:
• Dinner at Rustico. It’s not Mother’s Day here in the UK but Steve treated his mum anyway.

• Mucking about with camera settings:

  

  (picture of me by Steve)

• And I’m talking about watching How to Lose Friends and Alienate People now (it’s on TV at nine) although Steve’s expressing doubts.

Not sure about this whole five day working week thing we’ve got starting tomorrow; I’ve been getting a little too used to bank holidays…