rogues+brogues : April 2018

rogues review | april

It's hard to believe that April is over already. March seemed pretty jam packed with things and April has just blurred by.

This month has been one of reflection and planning. I didn't get up to as much as I did previously but sometimes taking things slower can help you look forward for the things to come.

Spring is my second favourite season after autumn. While it can be the usual miserable wet weather, there is hope and colour emerging. I got out into the garden properly for the first time this month and did some much needed weeding and tidying. The tulips I planted last autumn have come into bloom and brightened up the side borders of the house. Just need the roses and other plants to get their acts together and start earning their keep with some flowers!

We planned and booked our big summer holiday for August. By now you will know just how much I love Berlin so we decided to expand our perceptions of Germany and booked a 10 day tour of the country, visiting Munich, Frankfurt, Hannover, Cologne and Berlin.
We spend at least 1 night in each city and then hop the train to our next destination. I love travelling by train - here in Northern Ireland any time I'm on the train its a necessity at rush hour. But I really enjoy getting to see a place from the seat of a train, regardless how fast you are travelling, you can always see so much from your window.

We've also been taking private German lessons each week but I'm struggling to make it sink in. I've not studied another language since GCSE French almost 20 years ago so my lingual skills are rusty!

The 24th of April marked 6 months since my dad died. I'm not going to mope on this subject but it snuck up on me without my realisation. I really didn't feel like 6 months had passed. His headstone went up and it made it all the more tangible and permanent. Permanent is perhaps an odd word to use, but it was the finality of it all.

Time doesn't heal all wounds but it does give us perspective and allows us to develop better ways to deal with pain.

Making use of my waterproof Rains jacket.

Sunny skies the whole way up, lashed down for the last half hour...

Last week we visited one of my favourite outdoor places in Belfast; Divis & the Black Mountain (sounds like some indie band, doesn't it?)
Despite my stocky build and red beard, I am not the outdoorsman I would pretend to be but growing up in the country, getting away from the city centre just brings joy to my bones.
My feet however, were not rejoicing after we completed the 7 mile walk around the park...

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Here's to an interesting and experience-filled May! Do you have any plans for the coming month?

1 comments

, by Ian Megrath

belfast

Local Heroes | Belfast's Best Coffee

Seeing as it's UK Coffee Week and I am a non-functioning heap of beard and belly without coffee most days, I thought I would share my favourite coffee haunts around my home town.

Go back about 5 years and all Belfast had to offer in terms of coffee really were an abundance of Starbucks, Costa and Caffe Nero and the usual small traditional cafes who's selections were limited to over-done espressos and really milky lattes.
The modern coffee shop puts focus on the actual coffee, not on the massive muffins and overpriced traybakes. Really getting to the guts of good coffee, the interiors were pared back, the affectations were reduced and the coffee became the star. This isn't to say you can't just have a cappuccino or espresso, but your coffee will have a story and a history and your barista will do more than just push a button on the machine.

So here are some of my favourite coffee shops across the city, places that have caught my eye and attention with their service, knowledge, look and most importantly, coffee!

Town Square

Situated on Botanic Avenue, Town Square boast award-winning baristas and use Dublin-based Roasted Brown coffee. They even offer nitro brew (although it's always been off when I go)

If you are with a group and feeling indulgent, go for a Chemex and get the smore's campfire!

Guilt Trip

Based in east Belfast, Guilt Trip is a stone's throw away from the busy Ballyhackamore area but worth the short travel. A relative new-comer (I can measure it's newness as I've only been once), it keeps the menu simple: coffee and donuts (ok, there's tea & hot chocolate too for the non-coffee folk but the less said about them, the better)

The coffee is good and the donuts are immense!

The Pocket

Across the road from Queen's University sits The Pocket, a diminutive powerhouse. But a testament to the saying that good things come in small packages, the Pocket offers great freshly made food and donuts (I almost drowned in the coffee cream donut one day when I bit into it and the filling went up my nostrils) and offering my favourite variation on a cold coffee; Vietnamese coffee, made super sweet with the addition of condensed milk. They also host regular themed menu nights and although I've not made it to one yet, the menu always sounds so delicious and always vegetarian friendly.

Root & Branch

Boasting its own roastery, Root & Branch is one of the leading names in the Irish coffee scene. With a second location in Ormeau Baths and a newly announced extension to the Ormeau Road site, I'm excited to see what the future has in store.

The set-up reminds me of Blue Bottle Coffee in San Francisco where you would find one of their coffee shops nestled away just off a main street in an unassuming front. Just like that Root & Branch have a simple shop front and let their coffee do the talking.

Established

One of the first in the new wave of coffee shops and one of the only in the city centre, Established have established themselves in the heart of the bustling Cathedral Quarter.

Offering tasty breakfasts and brunch ideas, amazing bakes from Ursa Minor and a rotating list of guest coffees, it's rare to find it empty any day of the week. They also host coffee tasting, barista training and brewing workshops regularly if you are keen to improve your home coffee experience.

(BTW if you are coming here to do some work and don't have a MacBook, you're going to look out of place. Better get that Moleskine out!)

Ground

Last but not least is Ground. I'm regularly in the Wellington Place shop on an early morning, catching up on blogging, reading (or playing Pokemon Go). With several stores across the province, Ground is a chain with a local focus. Their own house blends (Bobblehat and FlipFlop) are exclusive to the brand and combine beans from Honduras, Peru and Brazil. They also host guest blends, including favourites of mine such as Five Elephant from Berlin.

Ground also sell Keepcup, the original barista-standard reusable cup; something to consider investing in light of the recent coverage of disposable plastics. Bring a reusable cup into any branch of Ground and get 50p of your coffee, a little incentive to do something big.

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Coffee has become something of an obsession over the past few years. I'm fascinated by the processes, the science and the skill it takes to make something we take for granted.

1 comments

, by Ian Megrath

grooming

Thinking About Inking | Electric Ink

It's been almost a year since I went under the needle and got my very first tattoo. The sparrow sketch tattoo on my arm was once something I was always aware of but now I just catch it out of the corner of my eye every now and then and it makes me smile. I've grown to love it more as the time has passed and I've attached a lot of sentiment and emotion to the little guy.

According to ancient Egyptian mythology, the sparrow would catch the souls of the recently deceased and carry them to heaven.

That's a big responsibility for such a little bird!

However, I have been thinking more and more about getting another tattoo. I'm torn between extending the piece, with more branches and an additional bird, or going for something entirely different on my other arm...

I still try and care for it like it's a new tattoo, applying moisturisers and specific tattoo creams to maintain the vibrancy of the ink. Although my tattoo is just in greys, the sketch design means there are a lot of fine lines and shading so I don't want the detail or colours to fade too much.

The guys at Electric Ink sent me their gift box a little while back and I've been using the products regularly to keep my bird looking fresh and fine.
The gift box contains the three key products in their collection: Defining Body Oil, Vibrancy Serum and Daily Moisturiser

This is my tattoo before and after applying the defining body oil. The shading looks refreshed without my skin looking greasy or shiny

The Defining Body Oil is designed to give your tattoo that just inked look, with a sheen to highlight the definition of the design.

The Vibrancy Serum keeps your colours intense (that's perhaps the saddest part about colour tattoos is the fading that inevitably occurs) Again, whilst my tattoo doesn't have colour, it keeps the grey tones in my tattoo from looking all one shade.

Any Daily Moisturiser is not to be sniffed at. None of us are getting any younger but so many of us only think about the skin on our face. You've just invested good money on your tattoo so why would you neglect it? Make moisturising your tattoo part of your routine to keep it as its best.

What I also like about the Electric Ink gift box is that they are all full-size products, no little sample bottles making it great value and a cool gift for someone who has just been tattooed.

Friday 13th is the traditional day of flash tattooing. Usually depicting something spooky or unlucky and the number 13 in someway, it's a day for tattoo lovers to get a new, quick and usually less expensive tattoo (many charge either £13 or £31 for designs). The flash tattoos are usually stylised or fine line shapes to allow the tattooist to get through as many as possible in a day. While you don't get to alter or amend the design, they often become a collector's item as many tattooists don't repeat these designs again.

As today is Friday 13th, I thought it appropriate to share my love of Electric Ink's products and host a giveaway. They kindly sent me an additional gift box and so I'm giving this away for all you newly tattooed folks out there.
To enter, I want you to visit my twitter, follow the instructions in the giveaway tweet and reply with an image of your tattoo - simples!

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Thank you to Electric Ink for providing the products for this review and giveaway.
All reviews are honest and my own opinion.

No cash or alternative prize available. Entrant must comply with all entry criteria to be considered. Late entrants will not be considered. Winner announced on Friday 20th April 2018.
Winner will be notified via twitter and will have 48hrs to respond or the prize will be redistributed. This giveaway is not affiliated with or endorsed by Electric Ink.

1 comments

, by Ian Megrath

grooming

Spring-Ready Skin | scrubd

This is my first grooming post of 2018 and we are almost into our 4th month, but good things come to those who wait.

Our skin takes all sorts of abuse during the winter months and with the lack of actual spring we've had this spring (Thanks Beast from the East!) it seemed like we were never going to see the end of the harsh winds and cold temperatures.

I have annoying combination skin, with tends to be oily on the forehead and hairline before becoming dry along the t-zone with oily patches on my nose. These pockets of problems mean I have to switch up or combine skincare products to try and remedy these areas.
Although problematic, I'm lucky that my skin is not overly sensitive so I can play about with new products pretty freely, trying to find the right ones in the right balance.

scrubd recently sent me over a few of their products to trial and I thought this was the perfect time of year to give my skin a bit of a spring clean.
I received their Energising Face Wash, Anti-Ageing Moisturiser and their Oakmoss & Spearmint soap.

Clockwise from top left: Anti-Ageing Moisturiser, Oakmoss & Spearmint soap and Energising Face Wash

First product I tried was the Energising Face Wash. The wash itself is a light solution that lathers quickly and rinses off easily. Taking time to work up a good lather, I massaged it into my beard and across my entire face and neck area. My skin felt refreshed and without any tightness and helped to remove any surface oil I had.

As a more-mature male blogger, I'm probably the most appropriate candidate to test the Anti-Ageing Moisturiser. While not turning back the clock while I applied it, the moisturiser did make my skin feel smoother and more supple even several hours after application. It is potent so I used it overnight rather than as my daytime moisturiser but that's down to personal preference.

Oakmoss & Spearmint soap 250g £17.00

Lastly was the Oakmoss and Spearmint soap block. I have a love/hate relationship with soaps. I have a nostalgic love for them, theres something satisfying about working a block of soap into a lather, the tactile nature of it all. However, I'm often let down afterwards by the tightened feeling thats left on my skin. Yes I know soap is designed to clean away grime and oil, but many soaps clean away everything leaving my skin feeling dry and taut.

The scent when you open the packaging is amazing. It's refreshing and biting, it's telling you how clean you are going to feel. I have tried the soap on my body and my face and admit I actually prefer to use it on my face than my body. It helped tackle my troublesome oily areas and when followed up with moisturiser, my skin wasn't left feeling parched.

scrubd natural and organic ingredients speak for themselves in the scents and effects they yield on the skin. Often our grooming products are so pumped with artificial fragrance, personally I would rather just smell clean than perfumed and using natural products and not layering unnecessary chemicals to my skin is always going to be better for me and for the environment.

I also received their Energising Shave Cream, a new arrival in their collection. However, you all know I'm a total razor-evader so I'm giving it away to one of my readers as a thank you to scrubd and to everyone out there who reads my blog.