Julie Portercott | A Scottish Women's Adventure

I am off to Ibiza in less that 4 weeks and I am so excited! I have saved all my spending money so any extra money I get can all go to getting some new clothes for the trip! Yay!

I went out yesterday and bought some really nice bikinis (not like the ones on TOWIE the other night – thank god!) and some other little bits and bobs like sun cream and flip-flops.

But I did have a little dilemma of what to buy to go over the bikini to walk around in, in the daytime. M&S have some really nice kafatans, which are plain and look nice over the top so I bought a white one of those, but I also thought about getting a nice t-shirt that might look a bit different.

G Star t-shirts are really nice and I also managed to find a really nice tank top, that I thought I could wear in the day and even in the evening when just going to a few bars with some shirts and sandals.

It is this one:

It was £27 and is dark grey with a pattern and graphic on the front. Perfect!

Picture: very.co.uk

I must say, I'm really impressed with Margo MacDonald so far in this election run-up.

I read an article this week about her plans for a crackdown on these money-lending companies that charge huge APR interest rates, and she singled out Wonga.com as one for particular criticism.

The Hibs fanatic said she doubted that Wonga would be unveiled that afternoon as the shirt sponsor for Hibernian's Edinburgh rivals Hearts for the next season, but it turned out she was wrong on that count!

Hearts have announced a two year sponsorship kit deal with the money-lending website, so the team will soon be running around with the logo emblazoned across their chests.

I agree with Margo - these interest rates are awful and should be outlawed! There's no excuse for 2000%+

Photo: IanVisits (Flickr)

After a rather scary turn of events I wound up in a Stannah stair lift store today!

It turns out my parents aren't coping too well with the stairs in their house, they've had a couple of small spills on the stairs and just aren't that confident on them any more.

It's absolutely heartbreaking to think of them being frail and needing help like this now, they're my parents and have always been so strong!

So as soon as I heard about this I took them straight to see a stair lift specialist, and we're getting one installed in their house this week.

They have a staircase which goes around in a square so they need a more complicated model but we've got it all sorted now.

I thought this day was way off into the future, but this will be a great help to them and hopefully help them keep going for a long time to come!

Photo: gingerbeardman (Flickr)

I, like most women, really love shopping for clothes. Of course, the fact that Christmas is only a few months away makes it all the more exciting as it gives you a guilt-free opportunity to shop to your heart's content.
However, more shopping also means spending a lot of money, which should never be done without proper planning.
Things to remember:
1. Know the sizes you need -- be it for your partner, child, or your parents. I know, it's common sense, but you'll be surprised at how many people get this wrong
2. Go through a good magazine or a catalogue to figure out the style you'd want for your clothes. If you're going to buy branded clothing, you might as well know about the possibilities beforehand, right?
3. Time your trip as per the discount and sales schedules of the stores. A simple research or inquiry with the store could tell you what would be the best time to shop there
That's all from me for now. If you have any more tips you'd like to share, please feel free to leave a comment.

Just as you are putting away your sun gear and saying goodbye to your tan, September sets in offering a wide choice of stylish necessities to counter the effects of Autumn.
One thing that I was particularly looking for was some good hair styles that I could try for a change. During a spirited Internet search, I finally came across some super easy fall hairstyles on Refinery29. Here are my favorites from what I saw there:
1) Side Part: This is an easy and fast way to up your style in just minutes. Just create a part and apply styling spray followed by control hair spray. This worked very well for me
2) Loose Knot: All you have to do is pull up your hair in a pony tail and wrap it with a long elastic reconstructing the feminine bun, but with the criss cross pattern on it. Do not forget to secure with Bobby Pins
3) Sleek Pony: This is the easiest of the lot. Apply smoothening serum on your hair and secure it into a low ponytail. For the extra sleek finish, sprat some straightening spray and you are done.
I know, they're not meant for those planning to walk down the red carpet, but they're quite handy if you're looking for a change. Do try these and let me know what you think.