glitter and revelations

same old and some words of wisdom

2012-01-22T11:01:00.002Z

I came back to uni on the 7th of Jan,

but ever since the start of the New Year I have frantically been trying to

complete the numerous amounts of assignments and revise for two exams.

In four days it shall all be over, and I will not be waking up until after midday on Thursday

- this for me is a huge thing; my body does not lie in. But I can already feel this one coming!

I could post a photo of my floor filing system, which you guys have already seen,

or the copious amounts of tea cups that are currently littering my bedroom.

But I won't, as I feel my blog will soon become a collection of photos of paper and cups.

Instead, I shall share with you this photo:

This is a picture I took last week of the sunset by Portsmouth Pier.

Somehow I found to time to take a little walk along the seafront, around four,

just as the sun was starting to set and the air was beginning to crisp up again.

And it calmed me down. I should start doing this more often.

And I recommend it to anyone;

you might not be lucky enough to have a seafront five mins from your house,

but go somewhere. A forest, a field, a park, anywhere where you can take a few minutes

from these crazy hectic lives that we live and just be.

That is my wisdom for today.

Now excuse me, I am going to hibernate beneath my paper and teacups

and not surface for another four days when this will ALL be over.

See you on the other side!

merry christmas, everyone!

2011-12-25T08:08:00.001Z

Happy Christmas to everybody!

Hope you all have wonderful days, listen to loads of carols and Christmas tunes,

stuff yourself stupid with silly amounts of gorgeous food,

and get all the presents you were hoping for and more!

And if you're not celebrating, have a wonderful day anyway!!

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

xoxo

'twas the night before christmas...

2011-12-24T19:56:00.001Z

..And all through the house,

Mummy and Polly were running around like headless Chickens...!

So it's Christmas Eve today and we've been trying

to get the last few jobs finished for the big day tomorrow.

I thought I'd treat you all to a Christmas fortnight in pictures!

Ollie's Mum came to pick me up to come home for the holidays,

and decided to treat us all to lunch!

We went to The Wine Vaults in Portsmouth,

and oh my god, the food was AMAZING!

We also had the very pleasant experience of them placing our order twice,

so we had so much more food than we should have done, Score!

2. and 3.

As always, I made my the labels for my Christmas presents.

And, as always, I made them incredibly fiddly!

There were about 6 steps involved in making them,

but they turned out so good so it was all worth it, in my opinion!

As I mentioned before, I went to Germany to visit my Dad!

We did get snow, even if it was just for one day!

We went to a beautiful market in the town of Rottenburg,

and I tried the German equivalent of mulled wine {Gluehwein}.

I didn't like it. Haha!

5. and 6.

Our Christmas Tree!

And copious amounts of tree in festive mugs!

This to me sums up being at home!

And listening to Michael Bublé's Christmas album on repeat!

Ollie and I got to spend the evening together last night,

we watched 'The Holiday' and I drank Malibu and Coke

- one of the beautiful benefits of being at home!

It was nice to have a relaxed evening together!

8. and 9.

Mum and I saw these beauties on the Hairy Bikers Christmas special,

so I decided to make them for tomorrow.

They're essentially nutella wrapped in filo pastry! {Find the recipe here}

Only try if you don't get bored easily and love fiddly things!

10.

This is another one for those who love fiddly! Welcome to the world of cake pops!

Mum is obsessed with them!

As I'm sure you can see, these are Christmas Trees!

The best website for details on how to make your own is bakerella!

They're so pretty, but don't attempt to make a tonne on Christmas Eve!!

I hope everyone else is feeling suitably Christmas-y

and that you all have a fabulous day tomorrow!

Merry Christmas everyone!!

xoxox

we're all dreaming of a white christmas...!

2011-12-19T14:46:00.001Z

Well, maybe not a white Christmas day,
but at least the run up to it!
I'm currently sat in Heathrow Airport
waiting for my flight to Frankfurt, Germany!
You see, I'm off to visit my Dad, and this is where he lives now!!

One of the FANTASTIC things about living in the middle of no where,
is that it's a million miles from anything.
Its currently 2.30pm. I set off at 10am this morning and my flight isn't until 4pm this afternoon.
I'm killing time, big time!!

My university bursary cane through a few days ago,
and it's seriously burning a hole in my pocket!
I treated myself to a few goodies from duty free,
a fabulous starbucks lunch
and my favourite perfume ever - Chloé!

I'll let you know when I'm back safe!
xxxx

style icon: emma watson

2011-12-07T21:00:00.001Z

I am in love with Emma Watson and her style, and her everything really.

In my opinion, that girl can do no wrong!

She's the same age as me, and along with the rest of the world,

I've watched her grow up on screen as Hermione Granger in Harry Potter.

And now she's in the big wide world doing new films and appearances.

When she first cut her hair I was a bit shocked,

but now I absolutely love it - I wish I had the guts to do it.

The elfin, pixie cut really compliments her face and she finds so many different ways to wear it.

Plus, her dresses!

Gosh, the top picture is from the "Deathly Hallows Part 2" premiere.

I love it. It makes her think of the dress Carrie wears in Sex and the City.

I have serious wardrobe envy!

So. who is your style icon?

What do you think to Emma and her style?

[1] [2] [3] [4]

my fortnight in pictures.

2011-12-01T15:10:00.001Z

Finally getting slightly better at keeping up with my updates...

I haven't got as many pictures as I would have liked

due to the absent camera situation.

But seen as I've bought myself a new one I should be back on track!!

We ventured out to Pure last Tuesday as for the first time this term,

they were offering free entry - YES!

The theme of the night was a "popcorn party"

where they fired popcorn from the cannons.

Very, very odd! But a different kind of fun!

2. and 3.

I've managed to keep up with looking after my nails,

but the other day I went to use my favourite bright pink nail varnish

and found it had dried solid.

I was devastated, but I painted them pastel pink instead.

Last weekend was spent babysitting my cousins with my Grandma.

Pictured here is little Samantha,

who I've just been asked to be Godmother for,

so I'm very chuffed right now!

5. and 6.

Urgh. Another wonderful picture of my floor filing system.

And the glass of wine that I just HAD to have

in order to get me through the night in order to finish my assignment!

I got it done in the end, but not until 2am!!

7.
For a friend's birthday we all had to pick a partner and dress the same
because the theme was "Noah's Ark"!!
Abi and I went as Pink Rabbits,
and I'm so proud of our face paint which I did all by myself!

8. and 9.

I'm finally feeling in the Christmas mood!

There was an adorable "Happy Christmas" sticker on my

festive 'Brie, Cranberry and Bacon' baguette (from Greggs of all places!)

And I bought my Christmas Hat for this years Xmas Carnage

and spent the whole of Thursday wearing it keep my head warm, ha!

10.
Last night was the Christmas Carnage.
I don't remember anything from the night...
Fabulous!

okay, so I caved!

2011-11-30T16:25:00.001Z

Okay, so I caved.

I lived without a camera for a whole 14 days and it nearly killed me.

So today when I checked my bank balance,

and was pleasantly surprised to find out that I wasn't so deep

into my overdraft as I thought - student life, debt is accepted!

I thought I'd splurge (read: do without something essential) and buy a camera.

Isn't she pretty!

She's actually pink and not the red that she looks in the photo

(I had to take this picture with my iPhone, hence the dodgy colouring,

cos you know, I couldn't use the camera to take a picture of the camera...!)

Plus she was half price, which is always a good thing!

Instead of doing my hideous maths-computers coursework

I am instead sat at my desk fiddling with the settings on the camera!

I am so dead impressed!
Plus I bought insurance with it, so if I break her I can replace her!

Yay!

decisions, decisions...!

2011-11-30T09:02:00.000Z

Lately I've been trying to lose weight,

and the other day I finally reached a stone lost!

And like any self-respecting girl, I bought myself a dress to celebrate!

Well actually, I bought two dresses. But I can only afford one.

HUGE STUDENT PROBLEM - can't afford dresses. Awful.

That aside, I need you, dear blog readers, to help me pick which to keep!

They were only a pound different in price so I can't use that as a deciding factor...

In the Blue Corner...

"Skater Dress In Blue Sequins"

So this dress has a lovely scoop back,

it's nipped in under the bust and spills out into a lovely skirt.

It's slightly shorter than I would wear without tights,

but that is easily rectified!

As you can see the sequin detailing is made up of tiny little sequins

sewed in crazy patterns over the dress.

I really like this as I have anther sequinned dress with big sequins

so it's something different!

In the Black Corner...

"Bodycon Dress With Embellished Mesh Detail"

Now, dress number two.

It's a black body con as you can see,

with fabulous mesh panels down the back and three-quarter length sleeves.

Plus the really gorgeous beaded neckline,

which makes me think of a statement necklace!

I literally cannot make up my mind.

I would keep both but I literally cannot afford them.

So, if you could either offer to buy me one of them,

or help me decide which to keep.

Either is cool with me...!

*I'd just like to apologise for the rubbish iPhone pictures. I lost my camera in Swansea and am feeling a little bit lost without it. *

as november draws to a close...

2011-11-29T09:05:00.001Z

November is coming to an end and December looms closer!

For once I'm actually really excited for Christmas,

usually I get annoyed at the thought of Christmas in November.

I'm enjoying the cold, crisp morning walks to Uni,

and wearing my woolly knitted cardigans.

And coming home after a long day in lectures to a hot cup of tea

and my cosy thick pyjamas and snuggly slippers!

I've enjoyed November,

but bring on December!!

[1] [2] [3] [4]

there is always, always, always something to be thankful for.

2011-11-24T21:10:00.001Z

After the American's celebrated Thanksgiving to other day, it got me thinking.

The sheer amount of work, combined with mouldy student houses

has got be down in recent times.

However, as the picture says,

there is always, always, always something to be thankful for!

So, I thought I'd take a moment to say what I am thankful for.

The Boyfriend.

When I get cross at my work, I have a tendency to snap at Ollie,

even though all he ever does is support me.

To his credit I haven't managed to chase him away just yet; thank goodness!

I love him so much and his patience just make me love him even more!!

The Long Distance Friends

Two of my best friends in the world, literally live elsewhere in the world!

Liv and Em have been there for me through thick and thin.

Even though they're both in Canada

(which means I can't speak to them as much as I'd like)

whenever we do catch up it's like I saw them yesterday!

The University Housemates

This is the motley crew that I live with (minus the waitress and including Ross).

Lately I've been frustrated with the state of the kitchen and various other antics,

however, I need to remember how much I do love them!

They're here for me when I miss Ollie, and stressed about work.

(Plus Bria and J-Ho gives the best cuddles ever!)

The Family

When I'm at home it's really easy to forget

the good qualities of my family and get frustrated!

When I'm away at Uni, I really start to miss them (especially my Mum).

I need to try and remember this feeling when I go home for Christmas!

life as a second year

2011-11-24T14:48:00.001Z

I knew second year was going to be harder than the first.

But I'm pretty sure we were lulled

into a false sense of security!

I have so much paper in my life right now.

Plus my Internet has decided to pack in - fabulous.

(I'm writing this on the blogger app for iPhone!)

I'm surviving on Early Grey Tea, Diet Coke and warm sweaters!

Plus listening to upbeat music like "Brim Full of Asha" to keep me motivated!

What keeps you gong when the going gets tough?

Hope everyone is in a less stressful working environment than me!

Happy Thursday people!

Xxxx

my month in pictures

2011-11-20T20:17:00.001Z

I'm being such an awful blogger right now,

but second year is whipping me crazy right now!

I was really hoping to right a few in depth posts

about some of the great things I've done in the past month,

however I have a crazy huge assignment due in a week!

So, without further ado - this is my past crazy hectic month!!

Bria, Nicole, Jemma and I all went to Southampton to the smallest little pub

to see a live set being played by The Dykeenies.

We all very trashed on the train and it was all a shambles.

And they signed our boobs.....

2. and 3.

We hosted an Ann Summers party with some of our closest girl friends

and had a evening filled with wine, giggle and sex toys!

We then traipsed to Tiger Tiger and had a girls-only clubbing night!

I was incredibly lucky to win two tickets to Britain and Ireland's Next Top Model Live

in a blog giveaway being hosted by Lil at A Storm in a Teacup.

Bria and I went up to London for the day and had an amazing time,

and (basically) front row seats to the live tour.

This is a photo of Charlotte from last year - who is my all time fave BINTM contestant!

5. and 6.

I had an awful 5 hour train journey down to Swansea becuase I'd forgotten my earphones,

hadn't brought a book so I'd work; and my laptop died.

So to entertain myself drew on the windows!

However, once I arrived we had a fabulous night out with the Welsh lot!

Halloween Night I dressed up as a 'Spooky Doll'

and joined some of the girls from my Psychology course for a scary night out!

I had a random Chinese girl ask to take a photo of my makeup...

We concluded that was a compliment!

8. and 9.

Had an impromtu nights stay at home,

and Crumble (the little girl cat) who is usually a lone-ranger

stayed in my bedroom all night and would not leave my side!

10.

We went to Scandals, this little basement club that is literally underground,

the walls are ceiling to floor mirrors, and the ceiling is so so low!

I am really hoping I'll be able to post more soon.

In the mean time, stay safe, stay warm and have fun!

xxxxxxxxxxx

tea is a saviour in disguise

2011-10-22T12:40:00.001+01:00

This is currently the extent of my life right now.

A big pile of unfinished work,

a cup of tea,

and my slow cooker recipe book.

Also, please note the gloves,

it's very cold in my huge, lofty student house,

and we can't yet afford to have heating.

Hence the gloves!

I have my first big hand in of second year coming up.

Meaning, this is the first piece of work which actually counts toward my degree.

We've all repeated this scary bit of information

and freaked ourselves out.

So I'm being a bit of a social recluse until it's done.

But I have some exciting posts and a very exciting week once it's handed in!

I'll keep you posted!!

my fresher's in pictures

2011-10-15T14:06:00.002+01:00

Hello, long time no speak!

Fresher's at university has been absolutely mental,

trying to fit reading and work around going clubbing and house parties is rather mad!

I've come to the realisation that I'm not going to be able to post as much as I'd like to.

However, I'm still going to keep going, you'll just have to wait with bated breath for each post!

Now, I'm going to start doing a "week in pictures" post that so many blogs around do,

and I thought the best way to kick it off would be my fresher's summed up in pictures!

This is Jemma, Bria and I getting read for our first night out as housemates

and therefore celebrating with a glass of wine!

2. and 3.

The aftermath of our house warming party.

So many smashed glasses and a sink full of god-knows-what!

(This was the night I got hit in the face with a can of shaving foam someone threw from our bathroom window!)

Professional photo taken at the first Pure of the new uni year!

5. and 6.

Homemade spaghetti bolognese and the best student roast dinner you've ever seen!

Definitely eating well ast university!

Myself as a smurf and Nicole and Bria dressed as Where's Wally

for the first Psychology Social of the year!

8. and 9.

Experimenting with my nail varnish!

Finally tried nude nails (I love them!!) and red nails and "diva red" lips.

10.

It was mine and Ollie's 6 and a half year anniversary last week,

we celebrated by spending the day on Bournemouth beach,

listening to acoustic music and drinking overpriced cocktails!!

For those of you who have just started uni; hope you had a great start of term and are settling in!

For those craaazy second and third years; hope you showed the fresher's how to party!

xxxx

guest post on 'first kiss time'

2011-09-08T16:56:00.002+01:00

Hey guys!

I've been lucky enough to do a guest post for the wonderful Sarah from First Kiss Time.

It's a review of the benefit products I bought for my birthday

- which just seems SO long ago now!!

If you want to check it out you'll find it here.

Enjoy!!

to go nude, or not to go nude, that is the question...?

2011-09-06T21:39:00.003+01:00

No, not like that!!

Beauty Bloggers, I need your help;

what do you guys think of nude nails?

I've seen them on celebrities and friends a like

and I think I may have fallen in love.

I've read mixed reviews on blogs online

some are raving, some are slating,

so what I really wanted were some personal recommendations

or some personal "stay away from this product"!

I think I prefer the matt ones more than the shiny ones,

and I don't know how I feel about the one with sparkles in it.

So what do you think?

Do you have any you swear by?

Or any you should swear me off of?

[1] [2] [3] [4]

home is where the heart is.

2011-09-02T08:56:00.000+01:00

Previously I mentioned that I was working on a wall of hearts.

Well here it is, all finished and in all it's glory!

(Yes I do realise I'm missing photos, I'm waiting for the right ones to be taken!)

It all started with the very large white heart.

What you can't tell it that it's made of very thin pieces of wood that have been shaped!

Mum bought it for me when I started redecorating my room and I popped it on the wall.

But it looked very sad on it's own, so I got the idea to collect a few more!

They all have stories connected to them,

but I've picked a few of my favourite hearts to show you.

My Grandma bought me this for my birthday this year.

I really like this one as it has little bells and pearls hanging off it.

I also love the script of the word 'love' in the middle!

Mum came home with this little heart as a surprise for me.

She'd picked it up from a trade fair that she was attending,

it's handmade which I think is adorable; the photo doesn't do the detail justice.

I bought this heart myself when Ollie and I were in London.

It's from a little boutique in Covent Garden.

It also helps continue the 'love' theme - I have three hearts with it written on!

Finally this gorgeous frame is from Chez Rose, I was so in love I had to go back!

The frame isn't technically designed to go on the wall,

with with a little determination and string I got it up there!!

My next dilemma is do I stop there?
I've really enjoyed collecting them and remembering the stories of my summer.

Should I fill up the rest of the wall?

the cure for anything is salt water - sweat, tears, or the sea.

2011-09-01T18:37:00.002+01:00

This quote pretty much sums up the holiday.

Some parts were amazing - like going to my favourite beach and spending time with Mum,

whilst others were difficult, like being constantly surrounded by 4 teenage boys

and others were downright hard, like when I got splattered with sand on the beach

(It went in my tea and everything; I burst into tears).

Llangrannog beach at low tide.

On the Tuesday we visited a beach I've never been to,

with an amazing Whelsh name - Llangrannog.

It was so long, and so hot, and so busy. We almost had to sit in the shade(!).

It was down a really, really steep hill

and we had to get this clapped out minibus down to the seafront.

Adorable houses along the seafront.

Our second beach day was Wednesday.

Pure spur of the moment.

It had been raining all day but suddenly stopped around four.

So we decided to go to Mwnt beach, which is the beach of my childhood.

We've been visiting this same area of Wales for around 9 years now,

so this beach has so many memories
(The most vivid was when we found a dead seagull in the sand!!)

Gorgeous Mwnt Beach from the cliff top.

The beach is at the bottom of a huge cliff face.

And this time there was no shuttle service!

Just a huge number of stone steps, and I tell you,

after going up them for the sixth time I was starting to feel the burn!

We stayed at the beach through the whole of the late afternoon.
As it started to get a bit chillier around 7 o'clock

I went and joined Mum and Nigel who were sat on the cliff.

You see they had the camping stove, so I could have a cup of tea!

As the evening drew to a close, we witness the most beautiful of sunsets.

And we got to watch the bottlenosed dolphins that this area are reknowed for.

I couldn;t get a photo as they were too fast for the shutter on my camera,

but they were diving beautifully, completely coming out of the water!

What was pretty special was that for the whole hour they were around,

almost everyone on the beach stopped what they were doing and watched.

The whole beach sharing in one magical moment of nature!

All in all we did have a lovely time and I'm glad I went!

But I'm also glad to be back in my bed with phone reception!

Do you and your family camp?
If so, what do you think?
And if not, why not??

a delayed introduction to our newest family member...

2011-08-31T21:19:00.003+01:00

Hey Guys...

Meet Blue.

He's a labrador collie-cross.

He's our new puppy.

Well, not so new now. We've had him just over a month.

He appeared whilst I was in London and so he was a pleasant surprise.

In that month we have found out many things...

1) He's really good at falling asleep in any and all positions...

He can just flop on to the sofa and fall asleep instantly.

How he does it we're not quite sure.

2) Don't be fooled by his puppy dog eyes and how cute he looks when he sleeps.

He's a terror. His favourite pass time is barking at 5 o'clock in the morning.

And finally ..

3) He knows he should pee outside, and yet he taunts me

by peeing just infront of the open back door.

I mean seriously Blue! Cut me some slack!!

But, whilst he is a noisy, peeing machine, I love him.

In the evening when he's all tired out he's so cute!

we're all going on a summer holiday...

2011-08-26T19:06:00.002+01:00

Mwnt Beach at Sunset

... Well actually I've just been on holiday.

No where fancy I'm afraid,

just five days camping in deepest, darkest Wales!

It had it's ups and it's downs,

but that's a story for a proper post.

This is just a pop in to let you know I'm still here.

Did you miss me?

university advice - money makes the world go round.

2011-08-20T19:30:00.004+01:00

Congratulations!!

You've made it into University.

Now what?

Managing to life your life on s student budget is at times an art form.

I've seen how to do it from people, and I've also seem what not to do.

So here are my top tips for budgeting on a student loan.

Open a student bank account as soon as possible - this can be done before you actually get to uni. They will be able to offer you an interest free overdraft, which hopefully you won't need but will be if necessary. Different banks have different incentives on offer, for example free railcards or NUS cards. This helpful article from the Guardian should help you choose the right one for you.

Also, if your bank will let you, open a second account. This can be used to store the majority of your student loan once you get it so you can't touch it from your everyday bank account. This will avoid the "I've accidentally spent my rent" problem!

Ask for student discount at every possibility. Some shops will accept your student card provided by the university. Others will only accept an NUS card, this may be something worth investing in as it's only£10 and entitles you to loads of exclusive discounts.

You can get discounts for students everywhere from the cinema, most retail shops and loads of restaurants. But if you ask and that shop doesn't offer one, you haven't lost anything. It doesn't hurt to ask.

Print out a monthly calender and display it somewhere prominant. Use it to mark all the money going in and out; loans, bursery, rent, bills. This should help you know what money you will have and when so you know how much you have to play with.

Don't forget to budget in money for food!

When going on a night out, decide how much you can afford and take only that in cash. This way you won't have your card on you and the temptation of extra alcohol and spur of the moment purchases.

One friend of mine has a habit of buying expensive bottles of champagne on nights out - she doesn't even like champagne so gives it away. Don't let this be you!!

This is probably the point I'd like to stress the most. Do not, and I repeat DO NOT get a credit card. Your bank will constantly try and push one on you, but resist. Unlike an overdraft on a student account they charge really high interest rates and are difficult to crawl out of.

If you are really struggling with money, there is no shame is asking your parents for a little short term help. Or if the situation is more dire then your university will have a department that should be able to help you out of your specific situation!

Managed properly, it is possible to survive on a student budget

without majorly depriving yourself.

Just don't go mad when your loan comes in - it has to last you all term!

university advice - food glorious food.

2011-08-20T17:55:00.005+01:00

Congratulations!!

You've made it into University.

Now what?

The above pictures are just some snippets from my uni life last year.

Food becomes one of the main focus's of your daily life,

as for many people it's the first time they've had to cook for themselves.

Here are my top five tips relating to food at university.

Make your food from scratch if at all possible. The may seem appealing to live on ready meals, but what you save on time you lose on money. Fresh ingredients are much, MUCH cheaper than ready meals and you can make more than one meal out of them.

It also gives you the ability to branch out on what you're eating - some ideas I've cooked (as shown above) are homemade beef burgers, chicken pie and roast veg, risotto. Vary what you eat, you will get bored of pasta all the time!

Practice now, whilst you're still at home and can ask the advice of your mum, dad, grandparents, siblings. They'll have useful advice and will correct you when you make mistakes.

This should also help you build up a repertoire of recipes that you're confident cooking for those first few weeks. Having a taste of home (literally) will help you feel less homesick when you're feeling down.

Buy little and often. It will save things like your milk and vegetables not being finished and consequently going off in the fridge - which is unpleasant for all involved. It's also kinder on your pocket as you're not throwing away half of what you buy.

If you have the space, yuou can freeze things like milk and cheese and defrost them as and when you need them so you don't get caught short. As for everything else, if your walk home from uni is anything like mine, it will be littered with tesco express's and quicki-marts. So you can pick up those odds and ends you may need on your way home.

If you do need to do a bigger shop, for example at the start of a new term, I highly recommend using the online services provided by most supermarkets.

Trust me, after a long day at uni the last thing you will want to do is walk to the supermarket, walk around the supermarket and then walk home with 10 million bags. So do it from the comfort of your house and get them to deliver it! Also, while you're at it, sign up for a tesco clubcard/nectar card/ points card because you will accumulate a lot of points which can help take the sting off some of your bigger shops!

Most students know they can get money off clothes and other things with a student discount, but not many know that some restaurants do student offers. For example, Nando's do a 20% student discount monday-thursday and with an NUS card you can get 20% off at Pizza Express sunday-thursday.

Websites such as NUS and student beans can help point you in the right direction!

Finally, this isn't really a tip, but a suggestion for something I found very successful. Once a week (on a wednesday) I would cook a meal for myself and my best two gal pals. They in return would bring the wine. The three of us would eat and drink well for pennies, and afterwards we'd get ready together and go out to the biggest student night.
It ended up being one of our highlights of the week and they loved my cooking as I was more adventurous then they were!!

So there are my top tips for eating at university!

Don't be afraid to try something new!

university advice - all work and no play makes jack a dull boy.

2011-08-20T15:01:00.006+01:00

Congratulations!!

You've made it into University.

Now what?

The above pictures are just some snippets from my uni life last year.

At uni, your social life explodes!

If your university is like mine there will be some kind of social event

on every night of the week, most likely with discount alcohol!

These are my top five tips for social excursions!

University students are obsessed with fancy dress, whether it's a huge student event like Carnage or just somebodies birthday. Or just 'cos - you'll find any excuse. So hunt down anything you think might be useful, I'm sure you have more hanging around your room than you originally thought.

And ladies, a hint from experience, coloured tights go a very long way in the winter when you're dressing up! This year I wore red, green, pink (regular and stripey!), blue and white. Stock up!!

There will be nights when your friends want to walk home and your feet hurt too much, you may have lost all your friends completely or it's unexpectedly started tipping it down. These are the nights you want to get a taxi, but you don't have any money!!
I suggest putting aside £5 as 'emergency money' for these situations. Tuck it in the back of your phone (or I keep it in my bra!!) so that even if you spend everything in your purse, you still have something to fall back on if necessary! And it doesn't hurt to "find" it again the next morning and realise you didn't spend as much as you thought!!

If you're going over to someone else's house for a party or for pre-drinks (if you don't know what this is, you'll become very familiar with it!!) only take as much alcohol as you think you will drink.

Because I can assure you, you will not be getting it back from that person's house. They will deny all knowledge of it being left there and drink it themselves. Promise.

Be prepared to do some really stupid things, like apple bobbing out of a paddling pool full of alcohol, sneaking into a children's playground at 3am, climbing a huge pile of soil on a building site.

They seem like fabulous ideas at the time, and you will cringe about it the next morning. But you need to have an arsenal of anecdotes to share with your home friends when you all get together again.

Invite your friends from other universities down to visit and go and visit them as much as you can at the start of each term (before the work piles on). This will really help you settle in during those first weeks of home sickness - which everyone gets so don't panic!
It will also give you great ideas for drinking games or dress up ideas or just fun things to do on nights out!

So they're my top five!

Of course there are many more, so if anyone has any ideas leave a comment.

university advice - the difference between try and triumph is a little umph.

2011-08-20T11:29:00.010+01:00

Congratulations!!

You've made it into University.

Now what?

The above pictures are just some snippets from my uni life last year.

Not from the wonderful alcohol fuelled nights out that regularly happen,

but from the work and stress filled nights before hand-ins.

So I figured I'd pass on some knowledge I've gleaned from my first year!

As obvious as it sounds, don't leave work to the last minute. I stupidly left a 3,000 word essay to literally the last day and it was the most stressful, tear filled day of my life to date. Seriously, don't do it.

Start thinking about your essay title as soon as you're given the assignment brief; either which one you want to choose if they're set titles or what you'd like to write about if you have the freedom to pick your own. Then start your background reading early, even if you're not going to start writing it yet, get an overall idea of your subject that way you'll show indepth knowledge (and thus get batter marks!!)

Learn your referencing style early on. It was get you marks later on and save you the hassle of trying to learn it when it eventually counts.

Also, big piece of advice is to reference as you go along. Even if it's not in the correct format (Harvard, Vancouver, whichever you use), jot down the important information. It will save you the ordeal of trying to track down the book and page number when you're hurriedly trying to finish an assignment.

One thing I found a bit of a shock was the fact that most of my modules where purely assessed by one exam and nothing more. This compared to A-Level where you have multiple exams or coursework for one subject was a bit daunting.

In second term I worked out that for me, the best thing was to read through my subject notes for that week and add any extra notes that I'd forgotten or got from a textbook. That way I knew if anything is missing and it kept the information fresh in my mind. So when my summer exams rolled around I felt prepared and not that I had to teach myself the whole course.

Another painfully obvious tip, is to go to your lectures. Even if you're dying from freshers flu or the worst hangover ever, I really suggest you go. ESPECIALLY if it's an exam based module because they pick a little bit from every lecture, trust me!

If you do have to miss a lecture for whatever reason, find someone to get the notes or handouts for you. It was save you heartache nearer exam time and give you a chance to know what the information is.

If you ever need motivation, just think - you're paying for these lectures! For my course it worked out as around £300 a lecture! That made me get out of bed!!

Finally, organise yourself. Have folders with dividers for each of your modules. If your lecturer puts their powerpoints online before the lecture I suggest printing them out before you go as it will save you scribbling like a fool. Similarly, print them off after if you forgot, they will fill the gaps that you couldn't write down; because you will not be able to write as fast as they talk and you will miss something!

Another tip would be to print out the calendar month and mark down all the things you have coming up, like deadlines, trips home, important dates (big nights out, birthdays). This will help you plan your work and will also help you with budgeting your money as that student loan runs out pretty quickly!

Hopefully these have been helpful for anyone starting uni.

Being organised from the beginning really does save you time later on!!

twenteen

2011-08-15T19:22:00.004+01:00

Thursday was my birthday. My twentieth birthday.

And I had the whole family make 'old' related jokes;

so I decided it was I was turning 'twenteen'.

Being a teenager has had some downs, but it's definitely had some huge ups.

Waving goodbye to them means waving goodbye to my childhood.

And I need to learn to embrace the fact I'm getting older,

more mature if you will.

Something I didn't ever think I'd do! Haha!

Despite all this, I decided to have a little family get together.

The weather was horrendous in the morning,

however by the time that my grandparents and best friend arrived

it had all cheered up and the sun was blaring!

Mum and Grandma had, without meaning to, coordinated their wrapping paper!!

I love this heart pattern from Emma Bridgewater,

I received the mug in this pattern for my last birthday!!

The presents inside the wrapping were just as wonderful!

I received 6 hearts for my decorative wall (post to come soon),

some beautiful fairy lights,

books galore and a new Emma Bridgewater mug!!

As for birthday cake, we had plenty of choice.

Porscha brought over the little cupcakes that were incredibly sinful!!

And tasted soooo good!!

The big cake was made with a slimming recipe that I got from my class!

And even though I was sceptical at first, it tasted lovely.

And it was filled with tonnes of gorgeous fruit,

so it was very healthy!!

Even though it didn't want this birthday,

I did have a wonderful day with my friends and family.

I didn't want it to end!!

lovely london

2011-08-09T19:19:00.016+01:00

What with all the madness going on in London at the moment,

I thought now would be a perfect time to show the lovely time

Ollie and I had only a week ago!

You can read about what we had planned here!

sunday, 31st july

Our first day started nice and early for an 8 o'clock bus. Owch.

And then we had a nightmare getting through Victoria station,

with a 55 minute wait for oyster cards.

However, on the other side of this hideous wait

was my wonderful aunt, uncle and two small cousins!

Ollie and I spent the early afternoon babysitting,

but then we were allowed out and into London!!

So we went to....

Covent Garden, hurrah!

I loved all the street entertainment that was going on.

Lots of "human statues" {some better than other}

a VERY grumpy magician,

a comedy duo doing circus acts,

and above - a dog in a basket; something I've never seen!!

We had a mooch around some of the stalls and the independent shops,

we stumbled upon the cutest ice cream parlour called "The Icecreamists"

and between us chose a scoop of 'the vanilla monologues' and 'sex, drugs & choc'n'roll'.

We were worried that being a sunday night,

that we wouldn't have much time before the shops started to close,

but when we left around 8 o'clock everything was still in full swing.

Which was just what we wanted!

monday, 1st august

Monday was the most jam packed day of my life;

river cruise, london eye, yo! sushi lunch, harrods,

bistro pub dinner and a westend show.

And lots and lots of walking!

We had another early start, as we wanted to get our tickets

for the eye and the cruise early because we knew there would be huge queues!

Once we had our tickets we had time to kill until our cruise

so we walked along the embankment next to the Thames.

Along the embankment they had a festival

celebrating the 'festival of Britian'.

Ollie and I had our photo taken in a little photo booth

and had fun looking at the decorated beach houses that were there.

For our River Cruise, we were given a wonderful air conditioned boat

that even had an on board bar!

Originally I was disappointed it wasn't open topped,

but after seeing them packed on like sardines I changed my mind!

There was a bit where we could go outside,

and we took a few photos with the London Bridge,

but soon retreated back to the cool!

Straight after we started queuing for the London Eye

as we expected a long wait, but were pleasantly surprised

that we got put in the short queue! Amazing!

I've been on the Eye before, but it was Ollie's first.

But the experience is always amazing.

I find it interesting to realise that everything in London is so close

because you can often feel detached when you're on and off the tube.

Plus the views are amazing!

Next up in our busy day was a trip to Harrods,

my favourite part is the food courts - especially the chocolate displays.

I've been to Harrods once before, but this time

we discovered rooms that I didn't before.

Like the technology room - which was Ollie's heaven.

And also the chocolate bar, where we had the nicest hot chocolate ever!!

Finally in our jam packed day was a trip to the theatre

to see wonderful show Wicked.

I didn't have any idea what the plot was about,

which was really rather nice as everything was a surprise!

The whole show was so well acted, and the singing impeccable.

And the end the audience gave them a standing ovation.

It also brought me to tears; I definitely welled up!

When we finally got home, we'd been out of the house

for over 14 hours.

Safe to say we collapsed in bed!

tuesday, 2nd august

Our last day in London had been left to do the things

we came up with during our stay.

We went to Westfield shopping center

with my aunt and it was like another world!

So many gorgeous shops - it has the only ugg shop in the UK!

Next up we went to the National History Museum

to visit the dinosaurs as Ollie has wanted to go since he was small.

I remember the exhibit when I was little,

they all seemed bigger, but that's probably because I was smaller!!

Our final stop was a trip to tea room 'Bea's of Bloomsburys'

which I had been eagarly awaiting the whole time.

And I wasn't disappointed.

For my tea I chose 'Earl Grey Supreme' which knocked my socks off

and we enjoyed the lightest scones I've ever tasted,

homemade lemon marshmallow,

raspberry meringue, tiny brownies,

and two beautiful cupcakes there were literally works of art!

After this we had a mad sprint to the bus station to catch the bus home

as the tubes had huge delays on them; stupid London tubes.

But we made it!

Even though London is rioting now, it is a beautiful city

full of culture and history.

It makes me sad that people would seek to destroy it.

But this won't stop me going back, I'm in love with London too much!

Forget trying to be sexy. That's just gruesome.

2011-08-04T22:52:00.003+01:00

These wise words were spoken by Colin Firth,

who is one hell of an actor, and in my mind very scrummy.

Today I finally got around to doing something

that I've meant to do for a while. I actually joined we♥it.

For those who don't know, it's a website full of inspirational photos.

One of the key words to the right caught my eye,

and that word was sexy.

I think sexy is a very overrated word

and is something that a huge amount of emphasis upon.

So I clicked on it out of curiosity,

and a vast array of images came up all tagged with the word sexy.

Aside from the {apparently obligatory} topless men and women,

I came across a rather odd combination of images

a few of which I thought I'd share with you.

None of the photos below are what I'd describe as sexy.

*I'd describe this more as pretty, feminine beauty as opposed to a sexy beauty*

*I know for some people the back of the neck is a sensual thing, but just a messy hairstyle?*

*Whilst I think this image is beautiful, I wouldn't class it as sexy*

*Food? Sexy is not really one of the things that jumps to my mind when asked to describe food*

*How on earth can you conceivably class a baby as sexy!?*

Do you agree with any or all of these?

What do you class as sexy?

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

we're off on an adventure

2011-07-30T17:30:00.000+01:00

Tomorrow morning, nice and early,

Ollie and I are off on our short London break.

We only have three days so we've planned to make them

as jam packed as possible.

Included in our plans is a trip on the London Eye,

a river cruise down the Thames

a trip to the theatre and a meal at a fancy restaurant.

And the one I'm really looking forward to,

afternoon tea at a little shop.

But most of all,

I can't wait to spent three whole days with my fabulous boyfriend!

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

i'm no beauty queen, i'm just beautiful me

2011-07-29T21:25:00.007+01:00

I've fallen in love; the instant, head over heels kinda love.

Who's the lucky one?

Well, it's Selena Gomez & The Scene.

The other day I happened to watch a Selena Gomez special on E!

and since then I've slowly become obsessed with her music.

I spent most of yesterday playing her songs on repeat via youtube,

and today I bit the bullet and bought them on iTunes.

Now for me this is a big deal,

I'm not a huge downloader and I only purchase songs I really love

(In fact I was given a £15 iTunes voucher for Christmas

and before this I was still on £10.05!)...

I love how the songs are girly and floaty

and sing about the things a teenage girl is concerned with

without being full of angst like some songs can be.

I have three distinct favourites, in this order;

"who says", "a year without rain" and "round & round".

It's these three in particular because Selena is singing about love

and there are some amazing original lines in them.

For example, in "a year without rain" this is my favourite bit

I'm missing you so much, Cant help it I'm in love

A day without you is like a year without rain.

I love this line so much, because as clichéd as it sounds

it's exactly how I feel when I can't see Ollie.

So, love me or hate me for my latest declaration of love,

but I have a feeling I've found my latest sound for summer.

I thought I'd leave you with the video for my favourite song,

hope you enjoy ♥

[1] [2] [3] [4]

how to have a better day...

2011-07-29T19:40:00.003+01:00

The littlest brother is now done at school for the summer,

consequently I've lost the mornings that I usually have

one my own until the middle brother surfaces around 3.

The initial joy of not having a job has worn off

and my days are just starting to bleed into one another.

I feel like I need a project to occupy my days,

as I feel like I'm just wasting them.

Might get back into scrapbooking,

but I was wondering if any of you lovely ladies

had any wonderful suggestions?

They would be much appreciated!!

[1]

lazy sunday reading

2011-07-25T12:48:00.002+01:00

This was my evening yesterday;

reading Harry Potter by the late afternoon sun.

Even though it was past 7 o'clock, the heat of the sun

was still so warm on my bare skin.

I'm trying to finish reading the last book before my next viewing

of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.

I'm going to see it for the fourth time with Emily on Thursday.

So far I'm still in the first film, but I'm slowly getting there.

The first time I read the book I got through it in one day,

but now that I have other things to do around the house

I don't have the leisure of doing nothing but read!

Reading in the Garden is such a lovely experience;

with all the flowers opening up the whole garden

smells just divine.

My favourite has to be sweet peas;

they make me think of my childhood as my Grandma

would always send me home from her house with a huge

bunch for my bedroom.

What are you spending your summer evenings doing?

sale bargains: a sneak peak in my wardrobe

2011-07-24T10:24:00.001+01:00

Even though I'm supposed to be a poor student

and I haven't managed to find a job this summer,

some how I have managed to find the money

to hit the summer sales!

I thought you might like to have a peak

at my latest bargains, some were quite a steal!

Stretchy Cardigan - £5 was £25 - Republic

This is the only new item that I'm not quite sure about.

I like the colour and the fact that you can tie the top in a little bow,

but the fact that the material is stretchy puts me off.

However, as Mum said it was only £5 so can't really go wrong!

Maxi Dress - £15 was £25 - Republic

I am in love with this dress.

I'd seen it in the shop numerous times, I even tried it on.

I couldn't budget in it, I said to myself.

However, with the £10 knocked off the price tag

I couldn't really say no!

Pleated Skirt - £10 was £30 - H&M

Saw this little baby when shopping in Worcester with Bria.

I don't seem to have very many skirts at the moment,

so I couldn't resist.
I love the length; just above the knee.

Very flattering in my opinion!

Knee Length Skirt - £10 was £35 - Next

Close up of skirt detail

Along the same vein, this is another skirt to add to my collection;

however this one is slightly more formal.

All my other formal skirts were school ones that are now a little old.

This has a gorgeous ruffle detail running diagonally down

the front and one the sides.

Peter Pan Dress - £30 - Republic Online

This one isn't technically a sale bargain, as I bought it full price.

However I just wanted to include it in this post

because I think it's the most beautiful dress!

Saw this in the shop when I was sale shopping,

but they only had teeny tiny sizes in stock,

so I had to track it down on the Internet.

But I'm glad I tracked it down,

and I'm planning on wearing it on my upcoming trip!

Have you been sale shopping recently?

I'd love to see what you've bought!

the perfect picnic

2011-07-23T13:10:00.003+01:00

On one of Ollie's rare days off we went on a little picnic

to a beautiful little spot called Wenchford by the Forestry Commission,

called Blakeney Straights by the locals.

There are so many ancient, old oak trees

which throw dappled light onto the little stream

that trickles through leading into a paddling area.

(Don't I sound like brochure).

It's one of those places that I've been going to for years.
From being a tiny little tot running around in my jelly shoes;

to being a gangly child scraping my knee running through the stream;

to a teenager surveying the stream for a geography project!

Now that I'm supposedly an 'adult', my boyfriend is driving me there

and we're going there for romantic picnics.

Adult picnics with Pimms in a can (fabulous invention!)

I was worried that the weather wasn't going to hold out,

however we had a lovely sunny day in the end.

Warm without being too hot; perfect.

I managed to get my pasty legs out,

hopefully they'll start to brown soon!

With any luck Ollie won't be worked to the bone this summer

and we'll be able to have more days like this soon!

hidden gems

2011-07-22T11:16:00.003+01:00

I have found the most gorgeous hidden gem in Gloucester.

It's a little shop out of the way of the main high street

and it's called Chez Rose.

The front of it just grabs your attention straight away

with all the things that are draped in the windows and on the outside.

There's even an old bicycle propped up and overflowing with flowers!

Inside there is just so much stuff that you don't know where to look first.

Hidden away in every little nook and cranny is something

interesting and beautiful and captivating.

I've taken some photos of the things around the shop

that caught my eye the most.

I think I have fallen in love with Chez Rose.

It's amazing.

It's like one of those little French boutiques!

I could have spent a million pounds in there.

I will 100% be visiting again!

visiting the big capital!

2011-07-17T14:13:00.003+01:00

Ollie and I are planning to take a trip to London

for a few days at the end of this month.
Seen as we are both broke students it's also a trip on a budget.

We have a whole three days, and want to fit as much in as we can.

Aside from touristy things (which I have done to death)
I don't really know London very well.

So what I'm asking if for suggestions for some where nice to go.

Anyone able to help?

[1] [2]

brownie guide campfire

2011-07-14T16:28:00.003+01:00

Over the years Mum has set up a Rainbow unit,

then Brownies, Guides and most recently a Ranger group.

She a one woman guiding machine,

and I'm so incredibly proud of her!

Last night was our first annual guiding campfire.

It was with all the girls from all the units.

We set up Nigel's firepit in the middle of the school playground

and kept it fed with lots of logs.

Then we all gathered around with the girls

and sang both old and new Guiding songs,

such as "This little Guiding light of mine"

"Kookaburra" and "High Dee".

We then partook in some wonderful hotdogs,

which weren't cooked on the campfire sadly

but were tasty all the same!!

good friends live in worcester

2011-07-13T16:49:00.002+01:00

The other day Nigel went to visit his son,

who lives in Worcester.

And I suddenly thought "Ah! Bria lives in Worcester!"

So we met up for an impromptu shopping trip

and caught up over coffee in costa.

Well, at least Bria had coffee. I had raspberry iced tea.

I've never been to Worcester before, and I really liked it.

It's a very picturesque city full of beamed pubs

and red brick buildings and tree lined high streets.

The only thing that was odd was the weather,

it couldn't decide if it was hot or cold, still or blowy.

Picking an outfit was the hardest thing to decide!

Seeing Bria was lovely,

especially as my uni friends are off travelling this summer.

Sometimes I feel like counting down the days until I go back.

But then I remember that I have great friends at home.

old english fête

2011-07-11T15:57:00.001+01:00

Last weekend Mum and Nigel (Mum's fiancé) and I

all went to a village fête in Hereford.

It was all terribly quaint, set in the grounds of this huge stately house,

with a magnificent garden and a pond that can only be described as a lake.

In fact the lake was so big it even had a family of swans living on it,

standard for any English manor house I'm sure!

At the fête there were games such as wooden skittles,

the well known Coconut Shy,

and the less well known 'Welly Wanging'

in which the aim is to throw a Wellington boot as far as possible!

It didn't take very long for Mum and I to track down the stall selling Pimms.

This is of course a staple in any self respecting English event.

It wouldn't be worth going to if not!

So we had Pimms, served to us by these lovely old men,

who spent forever faffing around trying not to give us fruit in our glass,

when actually, we rather like fruit with our Pimms.

But oh well!

Another staple of the British fête is the cream tea,

which consists of a scone, strawberry jam, cream and a cup of tea.

Nigel and Mum had a dispute as to which order the jam and cream go on your scone.

Traditionally it goes scone-jam-cream.

Nigel's goes scone-cream-jam.

But Nigel was defiant, and adamant that

a) his was right and

b) his tasted better!

My only opinion on the matter was that Mum's looked prettier!

The highlight of the day was the falconry display,

during which I was foolish to admit that, yes, I did have a camera.

So, the 'falconer' (to use the proper terminology!) called me into the arena,

he then explained how he was going to make the kestrel fly into the tree

and then land on his arm which he was going to place just behind my head.

And I was supposed to take a picture of it.

Now, whilst he was trying to make this happen,

the bird had other ideas.

First it flew off to the right and landed on the head of a two year old child!!

Second it flew to the left and landed on the head of an elderly man!!

Obviously this bird likes to land on heads,

and here was this guy encouraging it to land on mine!!

I was scared!

And when it came down to it, I panicked,

and the above picture is my effort at trying to photograph the bird in flight!

But that was not it. Oh no. He called me up twice more.

Firstly to demonstrate that the bird can pull it's huge wingspan in

whilst flying through trees.

How was this done?

My making the bird go in between my legs!

I closed my eyes!

And secondly, this was my supposed reward for traumatising me earlier.

He called the Hawk (which was called Dave) in to land on my arm,

which was actually pretty amazing.

For such a big bird it was incredibly light!

And even though I was a little scared, getting the opportunity to do

these three things was really fantastic,

and not something that everybody gets to do!!

lazy sunday morning survey

2011-07-10T09:49:00.006+01:00

So I stole this from Lil at a storm in a teacup

which is so totally cute and so worth checking out.

I figured I haven't introduced/reintroduced myself

since I revamped the blog so it would be worth doing.

name: Polly

age: 19, so close to 20. don't particularly want to turn 20.
city: Gloucestershire when at home, Portsmouth when at university.
occupation: Full time student if you class that, unemployed if you don't!
what is your current state of mind? sleepy and in need of a cup of tea
what is your greatest extravagance? probably spending money on seeing Ollie, either train tickets when we're at uni, petrol when we're not and just general date type activities. It all adds up.
what is your greatest fear? heights. I hate them. recently went on a pack holiday with the guide group I volunteer at and cried on all the activities because they all involved heights - I was supposed to be the responsible adult!
what is the trait you most deplore in others? selfishness, I'm not saying give away everything you've got, but if you have plenty why not share? Just think about others occasionally.
what do you consider the most overrated virtue? patience. or perhaps that's just because I don't have any at all.
if you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? worrying and stressing about every little thing. When I get really stressed I get these red bumps, which Ollie calls stress bumps, on my fingers and elbows when I get really stressed and the itch and it makes me more stressed.
what is the quality you most like in a man? generosity and thoughtfulness. I know that's two but I like them both.
what is the quality you most like in a woman? loyalty.

which words or phrases do you most overuse? after going to uni I have picked up the phrase "the best ___ EVER" which can be written in capitals or said louder when spoken. I now use that rather a lot.
which talent would you most like to have? I would love to be able to run properly, not even at crazy athletic level, just the ability to run less like a pregnant duck - a title given to me at primary school, aren't children nice!

what or who is the greatest love of your life? I don't want to sound too soppy and cliché but I think I'll have to put Ollie here. In six years so much has changed but he's the one thing that's stayed constant and I love him for that!
where would you like to live? In a rustic little cottage with something like roses or honeysuckle climbing all over the front of the house. In a field. I'm not very fussy about the geographical location.
what is your favourite occupation? reading, eating, sleeping, laughing, scrapbooking; to name a few!
what is your most treasured possession? oh, too many to pick, I like stuff. Top three probably, my cuddly bear Snowy, my scrapbooks of memories and my jewellery box.
who are your favourite writers? too many! Right now I love Terri Paddock, Katherine Howe, Julie Hearn and Audrey Niffenegger.
who is your favourite hero of fiction? Hermione from Harry Potter. I always wanted to be her.
who are your heroes in real life? Kylie, Marilyn Monroe and my Mum
what do you most value in your friends? the ability to make me laugh and lose control a little!
what is your most marked characteristic? loud personality and even louder voice!
how would you like to die? happy and loved.
what is your motto? "If you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best".

not so little any more

2011-07-10T08:50:00.003+01:00

Not so very long ago, Ollie's little brother had his 18th birthday

which was so incredibly odd,

seen as he was 11 when Ollie and I first started going out.

I've seen him grow up in front of me

just like I did with my own brothers!

He hasn't always been my biggest fan,

as he resented me 'taking his big brother away from him'.

But we've made up now and we had a great BBQ in celebration of his birthday!

We had homemade kebab sticks with marinated chicken, and peppers,

and mushrooms, and courgette, and onions.

And they all looked so colourful on the BBQ.

We also had amazing burgers and sausages from the local butchers!

And an amazing cold feat too of salad, and pasta and new potatoes.

Yum yum yum.

Once all the food had been cooked, we turned the BBQ into it's second function:

A self contained fire!

It's actually a firepit that doubles as a BBQ, so the boys fetched the wood

and Ollie's Mum poked and prodded it into place

to create this perfect fire!

Which was very welcome seen as it was starting to get a bit chilly!

And we sat and ate and talked and drank the rest of the night away!

happy cheesecake day!

2011-07-08T21:32:00.002+01:00

Today is national cheesecake day!

And to celebrate my Mummy made us all a cheesecake.

Om nom nom.

Mum makes the nicest cheesecake ever...

so it was the perfect excuse to eat loads!

catching up with old friends

2011-07-03T22:48:00.014+01:00

One of my very best friends lives in Canada,

and she's currently visiting England with her family and boyfriend.
I've been fortunate to catch up with her on several occasions recently.

monday, 20th june

Em and I met up for what was supposed to be a quick

catch up over a bite to eat and a coffee

but it quickly turned into a whole afternoon

and she invited me out for dinner with her family!

We went to this tiny little Italian restaurant

that is totally cute and family run.

We made the mistake of ordering starters,

so by the time that the main courses arrived none of us had room!

So went we asked for our leftovers to take away,

the waitress brought out our food wrapped in tin foil

and molded into these tin foil animals.

Emily's was a swan, her sisters had a duck and a turkey

and I got... a fish.

Wonderful!

tuesday, 28th june

Ollie and I went for dinner with Emily and her boyfriend Ryan

as well as some old friends from secondary school

that I haven't seen in forever!

We went to Nando's (which is this amazing Chicken restaurant for those who don't know)

which Em introduced me to all those years ago.

We gorged on chicken breast burgers and unlimited drink refills,

and when we were all done we got the boys to take dorky photos.

By the time we were photo'd out, none of wanted to leave,

so the Cheltenham locals took us to this little indie bar called

The Frog and Fiddle

where we drank cocktails such as Fuzzy Shark

out of bright blue teapots.

Awesome!

wednesday, 29th june

The previous evening, we'd convinced Em and Ryan to stay longer

so we could go out on Thursday.

Seen as Ollie had the day off, the four of us went to explore Gloucester.

We had Boots meal deal in the grounds of the Cathedral

and then we went round the cloisters which is where Emily and I filmed our scene in Harry Potter.

After this we visited Topshop, which is Emily's favourite shop

and tried on some funky hats in the men's section.

thursday, 30th june

Thursday evening's plan was a night on the town in Cheltenham

which was only my second time out there!

We had a pretty eventful night,

which involved £2 for four WILD shots

and having my bum pinched by a man that wasn't Ollie.

And it ended in a club called moomoo's where I experienced

my first view of a mosh pit and a club that has guitar hero playing!

Definitely a good night!

homemade pizzas

2011-06-27T20:02:00.004+01:00

Today's dinner = Homemade Pizzas.

In fact everything was homemade, the base, the tomato sauce.

Well, that's it, but it's still pretty impressive.

Mum makes a kickass pizza in our opinion!

I'm not a fan of tomatoes so I choose to base my pizza with basil pesto,

for that authentic Italian taste!

I've never tried fresh basil on a pizza before,

and even it doesn't look the most appealing

it was very yummy and something I'll try again.

I love how colourful all the pizzas look,

the mixture of colours make them very appetising!

The whole dinner was a complete family affair,

with Mum making the dough,

Nigel creating a colourful salad,

and us three adding our own toppings to personalise our pizzas.

All I can say is, Tasty!

Have you ever made your own pizzas?

i think summer is here..?

2011-06-27T17:56:00.006+01:00

So we had glorious sun yesterday and today looked very promising,

with the weather managing to hold out until 11 o'clock.

In fact it only started to rain once I'd hung a huge load of washing out!

Seriously, summer one second, overcast as soon as the last peg was secured.

Not impressed I tell you!

But even so, I soldiered on,

determined to wear my cute t-shirt and denim shorts combo.

And I snuck outside in between the rain to enjoy the streaming sunshine.

Today the daises have pushed through the lawn to face the world,

and the 'domesticated' potted daises were out in full swing as well.

I can't wait for summer to get into gear.

I'm hoping it's going to be fabulous!

the sun is finally shining

2011-06-26T17:12:00.001+01:00

After a long period of rain in delightful little England

the sun has finally decided to show its sunny head.

We had some family members visiting today

that we haven't seen in a long, long time.

So it was lovely to be able to sit out in the garden

and have a chat and a catch up.

When the sun shines it makes all the colours

in the garden pop so much more.

I love the vibrant colours of summer that appear

after the pale pastels of the spring.

With the family over it was another chance

to celebrate my Mother's new engagement to her partner Nigel.

So out came the Champagne and the flutes

and a toast to the happy couple!

And with the sun and the colourful colours

I was able to wear my brand new maxi dress

that is covered in colourful flowers,

so I fit straight in with the garden!

Plus I got to pair it with Nigel's cowboy hat,

I think I looked the business!

revamped and vamped up!

2011-06-24T15:30:00.004+01:00

After a long hard think I decided to delete all my old blog posts

and give the whole thing a rework and a new name.

So I'd like to welcome you to the all new

glitter and revelations

My plan is to keep it the same crazy mix

of beauty, fashion and my hectic life.

Plus throw in a few more beautiful pictures and quotes along the way.

To my old followers, I hope you enjoy the new layout,

and to any new followers I hope you like what you see!