Let's Talk About AHS.

I know I have been quiet here on my blog for a while but my life has just been a little insane - Christmas is a busy time, who knew?

One thing I have found time for is American Horror Story Coven. Me and my friend watched it in 3 sittings and holy mother of goddess is this a show you need to see!

By now there's no way you won't have heard about this series, it's EVERYWHERE and there's a reason for this. I've watched the first season, Murder House, most of season 2, Asylum (which I wasn't quite as fussed by), a few episodes of Freak Show (which seems like it will be amazing but my friend has already watched this one so I may have to catch up on  my own) and now Hotel has begun which I have seen nothing of, but Lady Gaga is in it so you know it's gonna be good.

So far Coven is easily my favourite by a million miles. I think what made me adore Coven is that I was so interested in the characters and this was true of each one, there wasn't a single person that didn't intrigue me.
Plus now I'm utterly obsessed with witches.
It's a bunch of badass ladies with magical powers trying to save their race whilst finding the next supreme which is basically the queen witch. Yeah it's awesome.

You can correctly assume from the title of this series that it's a little gory and scary at times but as someone who doesn't overly like horror films I still think these are wonderful. They are dark but more macabre than scary so you don't have to worry about too many sleepless nights.... although I didn't enjoy the drive home on my own after watching them.....

I don't know why I decided to write about this show but I think it's mainly just to tell as many people as possible to watch it because it is SO worth your time and effort. Not only are the storylines fascinating but because each season follows a new plot with different characters there is no possible chance for you to become bored, or if you aren't getting into one of the seasons as much as the others you can skip it because you won't miss anything for the next one!

Have you seen any of American Horror Story? Which season is your favourite so far?

x

Colour My World on YouTube.

I have made a few videos in the past for YouTube which really I'm not all that pleased about....
When I watch them back they make me cringe and I realised it's because I wasn't being myself, I was being what I thought YouTube wanted me to be.
Let's be honest those videos aren't what anyone wants! I have privated a couple and was tempted to private them all and effectively start over but then does that totally go against the message of the video I just made?
I think once I've made a few more that I'm happy with I might remove the others but for now they're staying.

But I like making videos and to an extent the point of the video I made is true to this blog as well. Hobbies are for you to enjoy so we should be able to do them without conditions or pressure.

This latest video is just me, natural and true so I actually like this one and hope any future ones follow the same vein.

Feel free to watch/comment/subscribe all opinions welcome!

x

My Make Up.

I've never had a great relationship with make-up, eye shadow will always end up on my cheeks, foundation is never pale enough - I guess they don't do the "I never go out in the sun because my skin hates it and so I'm as pale as an 80 year old" colour, my lips are too big for anything brighter than slightly pinker than my natural tone and I only learned make up has an expiry date when I was 21..... so that's what the little 3M meant on my 4 year old concealer....

Having said that I have started to ease the strain between us a little. I wear make up pretty much every day after seeing a photo of me without it and deciding that it wasn't for human viewing, my attempt basically just consists of eyeliner on top and mascara. That's it.

I do try and use a cruelty free range that I found called NYX which you can find online and at Boots stores - it's all reasonably priced compared to a lot of other ranges that claim to be cruelty free. Whenever a product is a specialty it unfortunately allows companies to charge more because they know people will pay if it's the only option. Bastards.

I have tried a few of their things as although I only wear limited make up on a normal day I do try a little harder for special occasions. I'll use foundation sometimes because, incredibly NYX have one that's light enough for me - now my skin isn't bad in the way of spots and blemishes (not that there's anything wrong with them and they certainly don't need covering) but it does have this rather lovely habit of glowing bright red whenever I have a drop of alcohol. So to cover that up a little I use the foundation.

I also have one of the eye shadow pallets which I haven't quite come to grips with yet as I really don't understand how the whole "blending" thing works but I have faith that with time I might learn.

So that's it. I don't have skills or any understanding of make-up, I just sometimes like to pretend I do.... a bit like when you get hold of your mums lipstick for the first time.

x

November Favourites

It's that time again where I tell you about all the best parts of my month.

1. Seeing friends:

I spent the night at my friends, we had cocktails and went dancing (briefly) but the best bit was easily our trip to the Krispy Kreme cafe - doughnuts and coffee? Yes please. She is fabulous, plus who doesn't love a friend that won't judge a vegetarian that drunkenly eats KFC?

2. Volunteering:

I have recently done a small bit of voluntary work with an environmental consultancy to learn more about ecology as it's a possible career option I'm looking into.
I'll probably do a longer post discussing it at some point to let you know exactly what I got up to but I have loved it and it's been incredible to change things up and have a break from my current job for a few days.

3. Bath Christmas market:

This month I met up with my uni family for the first time in FOREVER, one of my boys I hadn't seen since my 21st which was 2 and a half years ago! We went to Bath where we first met and studied for 3 years to enjoy the somewhat famous market with all it's smells, colours and mulled wine.

4. Deciding to start playing piano again:

I haven't touched a piano for around 8 years but used to have lessons with my Mum and am starting to miss it. I'm someone that adores music and wants nothing more than to be talented in it someway..... but I'm not. I don't have a musical bone in my body, am tone deaf and also extremely impatient with myself so never allow the time to learn anything. As I was taught by a skilled pianist this became a hobby that I could actually do! Sadly I was fickle and gave it up to do another passion I'd had since childhood which was horse riding. Recently I have had real motivation to try and play again so have bought myself a load of different books that have songs I know in but that are super easy for beginners.

x

Also for anyone that read my last post I am so happy to say that I've found a new home for my last rattie D'artagnan and although I will be a little heart broken to say goodbye I know he's going to someone who will give him the life he deserves and he will be part of a new group which hopefully he'll settle into quickly.

Saying goodbye.

Today I had the second of my three pet rats put to sleep. That's two within 3 weeks. We also had to have our cat Harry put to sleep less than two months ago.
When you become a pet owner you know it's not forever, you understand that you will out live these animals most of the time by many years but it doesn't make it easier when letting them go.

As I have been left with a solitary rat, D'artagnan, I have decided to try and re-home him with another owner who has multiple rats already. Rats are group animals and require constant support and interaction with others. Had he been old I may have considered keeping him alone but he could live another year and a half and it's just not fair to make him spend that time on his own.

I do have the option to get other rats to keep him company but I'm not sure I'm in the right position in my life to get more. They are an expense, if I'm being honest I didn't spend enough time with the rats I had and it would be wrong to get more, plus I'm hoping to move out of my parents house sometime in the future and rental properties rarely allow pets and I wouldn't want to give up multiple rats just to move. So I'm going to try and find him somewhere to live that will mean he gets a nice, clean home, an owner that handles him regularly and lots of other rats to keep him company.

I never expected to go from 7 pets to 3 in such a short amount of time .... it's been pretty heart breaking and all around shit. But that's the deal you make when adopting pets, it's your responsibility to do your best by them and accept the pain of letting them go.

x

Children and Nature.

The Wildlife Trust have started an initiative called Every Child Wild and it's based on a concept that I have a lot of feelings about.

I am a huge supporter of protecting our environment which is why I've studied it and I also stand by my opinion that humans are the worst thing to have happened to this planet. We have done an incomprehensible amount of damage to the earth in the short time we as a species have inhabited it. Before I get too deep into the negative I promise I'm not all doom and gloom, there is hope people! That hope lies with kids.

The idea that today's kids don't go outside very often is nothing new, but it's something I feel needs to change. And soon. With so much technology at our finger tips it's often considered the only way to entertain children. All this has led to a severe lack of understanding and appreciation for the environment right outside our doors.
Of course I love having the internet, TV, film and music readily available but when I was young these were luxuries not something I was constantly glued to (obviously now I'm a grown up I'm allowed to have an unhealthy, extremely dependent relationship with my phone and laptop....).

Some of my best memories from childhood are the ones where I was outside and in nature. Most days I would be out of the house and my parents would take us on walks to the parks and woods nearly every weekend - TV was only really there for when the whether wouldn't allow us to be outside. (FYI the picture in the title image is of one of my favourite places, the woods near my house has for as long as I can remember had this "dragon" log. I used to sit on it and was convinced it was once a real flying dragon and had been turned into wood by magic.)

These kids are the ones who will soon be in control of the future of the earth and the idea that they could go into that future completely blind to the needs of nature is terrifying. Knowledge is key and let's be honest kids will only learn if they are interested and they are fully immersed so we need to make it fun and engaging! Sitting them down and droning on about how shit the current state of the planet is isn't going to enthuse them to take action, in fact it's pretty damn depressing.
Get them out there, let them experience all the beauty that the earth has to offer, only then will children realise what we stand to lose.... and actually care about it. Even if it encourages them to make the simplest changes like recycling more or planting vegetables in the garden when they're older it matters. The smallest changes can have the biggest impacts.

I stand by this campaign to get the young'uns out and about. Get excited, get muddy, get dirty and get MAD about the environment.

x

My Favourite Meat Alternatives.

I've been a vegetarian for almost a year now and when I was a meat eater I was always a little confused about vegetarians eating vegetarian products that are made to look and (almost) taste like actual meat. If you don't like the idea of eating an animal why buy something that's made to be the same as it?
It didn't take long to realise why so many vegetarians go down this route. Sometimes it's hard to think of a  replacement for meat in a meal- it's often the main component and to find an alternative can mean extra thought and work which sometimes I'm just not okay with! Also although I have chosen not to eat meat, I used to and still do enjoy the flavours of it so I occasionally fancy something meaty tasting.

I have fallen a little in love with the company Quorn, who have made pretty much every conceivable meat commodity available for vegetarians. They are the kings of vegetarian alternatives.
Here are a few of my favourites that I recommend to every veggie, partly because they are about as similar to the meat original as you could get but mostly because they're freaking delicious!

- Scotch eggs                                                                      - Sausage roll

- Turkey slices                                                                   - Mince

- Tikka slices                                                               - Pies

x

Why Comic Con?

I've been to the London MCM Comic Con three times and each of them has been heaving with thousands of fans which got me thinking - what is it that makes this event so popular?

1. You get to spend the day walking around stalls bursting with unimaginable amounts of merchandise from your favourite fandoms. The variety is endless, it's one of those times when spending money is just a little bit too easy but dear lord does it feel good at the time.

2. There's always a whole troupe of talented people more than happy to share their abilities. It's a perfect chance to admire (and purchase) others craftsmanship, find inspiration and become sick with jealousy at all the things you'll never be able to do..... Just me?

3. You get the opportunity to meet some of the stars of stage, screen and game. If like me you tend to place those in the spotlight on a bit of a pedestal and so enjoy meeting them - even if  on doing so you internally (and on occasion externally) become reduced to what can only be described as an incoherent marshmallow - this is your universe my friend.

I personally adore listening to people talk about their passions and seeing there eyes light up with childish excitement. It saddens me that it seems less and less common place for people to let go and show their joy but in today's society it's almost frowned upon to be enthusiastic.
To counter this all you really have to do is talk long enough to someone and you'll find that one thing that makes someone regress and it's the best. That's what's at the heart of Comic Con, the idea that no matter what you're interest might be to be welcomed all you need is to unapologetic ally love something.

So I have come to the conclusion that that's what makes Comic Con so special and that's what keeps people coming back time and time again. A feeling of being yourself and thus belonging, safety and at home-ness (yep that's 100% a word).

Have you ever been? What was your experience?

Side note: This is my 100th post awoo hoo.









x

TFT | Imagine

This is all I will post about recent events.
In light of everything that has happened all around the world, not just on Friday 13th but this whole year, I want to share this video. If you want to, maybe take these 2 minutes to think about the hearts that have been lost and broken because of these horrendous acts of violence and consider all the wonderful things in your life you have to be grateful for.

Love - It's free and the only thing you can never give too much of so spread that shit like butter.

x

The Easy Way.

Sometimes making your life easier is just a necessity.

For me driving has always been an issue, every time I knew I had a driving lesson I would feel sick all day and think of any reason not to do it. I hate using this as an excuse but I was in a fairly serious car accident before I started learning (I wasn't driving just to clarify), thankfully it's the only one I've been in to date. I won't divulge all the details but we did end up on the roof and had to crawl out the broken windows so it did make me worry a bit when in the driver seat myself.
I also think that my anaemia has played a part as it leaves me dizzy and struggling to concentrate which is just a bit important when driving.

I had a lot of lessons, with different instructors and at various times and all of them felt the same. I could drive fine, all the teachers said I was safe and never really did anything majorly wrong but it was me holding myself back. I felt like I would never be confident enough to do a test, I could barely get through a lesson let alone adding the pressure of being examined!

That's when I decided to go automatic. A few people thought this might limit me a bit as in England if you do a test in an automatic car you can't then drive manuals. Although it might lower my choices of car, there are still so many options, plus I really needed to get my license since I live in the arse end of nowhere.

After a few automatic lessons I knew this was the only way I was going to pass my test in the near future, so I continued learning and eventually passed my test a few months ago - first time and all!

When making this decision I almost felt like I was being lazy and it was taking the easy way out (title reference hey ooooh!) but the closer I got to booking a test I realised it really was the best thing for me to do, also it meant being able to drive sooner and open up all manner of new possibilities.
I still don't enjoy driving, in fact I actively dislike it but it's an integral part of adult life and allows me to do all the things I want to without relying on others.

I don't think you should ever feel guilt for making tasks simpler or quicker for yourself, it's your life and you only have so much spare time. Why make things more arduous than they need to be?

Taking the easy way out isn't always a negative concept.

x

Being on TV.

Back in May I got on a plane and headed off to Italy to take part in a TV show... yes an actual show on actual television that people saw. It all happened when my sister, in a fit of reckless abandonment, printed off and bought home application forms for a new show on ITV called Hello Campers - I draw your attention to the above logo.

The day after we sent off the paper work we got a phone call asking us to go to the ITV studios for an interview in London. Neither of us had ever done anything like this before so were walking into the Big Smoke utterly blind.

I'm being completely honest with you when I say we didn't expect to be chosen - we felt that in the interview we were much quieter than the others and most of the characters in the room definitely out shone us. Among our friends and family me and my older sister are somewhat odd and out there but in the big, wide world we're frankly, well, uninteresting .... or at least that's what we thought.
We actually got picked and of course accepted the chance to jet off to a campsite to spend 5 days in front of cameras!

The idea behind the show was to have 5 couples camp together for a week and do daily activities where you can score points and the couple with the most at the end win £1000. Spoiler alert here - we didn't win! If you've seen Coach Trip it's actually the same production team and has a similar feel, just minus the vote off!
We really did love every minute, we met people and did things we never imagined we would, Italy was gorgeous and although we didn't have any spare time to do our own thing and be proper tourists we saw it in a very different way to anything we could have planned ourselves.

When thinking about this post I decided that rather than simply regale you with what I got up to I would try to enlighten you as to what it's like to be part of a TV production.
First off is you will be asked to repeat things. A lot. Anytime something funny was said in general conversation but wasn't caught properly on camera it would be repeated, it sort of became a running joke when we had to fain entertainment the second or third time of hearing something to over dramatise every reaction.
Along with the repetitiveness is constant stopping and starting. Footage is collected at every opportunity, getting out of the bus, walking into the venue of that days activity, meeting the expert who would be teaching and judging and so the list goes on. Between these, camera and sound have to move into the best positions and we are left where we are until asked to continue.
All these things lead to days that are full of waiting, constantly walking around, being asked questions and it all taking quite a lot of time. Filming started every day at about 7.30am and ended at around midnight but a few nights we ran until 2am. Although exhausting everyday was so interesting you didn't notice while there.... crashed for about a week once back mind you.

The only negative points I could think of were not having a chance to really get to know the other people involved on more than a superficial level (this has since been amended), washing up at 1 in the morning, the slightly lack luster bathroom conditions and lack of free time! Over all though it is by far one of the most incredible things I've ever done and I would do it again in a heartbeat - or perhaps a similar week but without the whole thing being aired to the entire country.

By far the best part of this week has to be the group we met there, it was strange being in social situations where you can only talk one at a time and often the conversation topics are chosen by producers, but it's human nature to support and group together when thrust into the unknown. Although at times some situations felt a little contrived we made genuine and hopefully life long connections with the other contestants. We are spread all over the country but have managed to have a reunion already which was a weekend of music, drinks, hot tub, games and thankfully no cameras or crew just natural, free flowing friendship.

x

Sister YouTube Channel.

Some very exciting news coming at you right now!
Me and my wonderful older sister decided to make a YouTube channel and have posted our first video. As it is just the beginning we thought we would try the sister tag so you can get to know us a bit and watch us show our lack of knowledge of each other!!

Video below and hopefully many more to come.

We also have a twitter for you to keep up to date with what we do https://twitter.com/Jsquared_2_

x

Warped Tour UK | A Guide.

Most will know Warped Tour as the summer long pop punk/rock festival that travels around America every year. Less known however is that it came back to the UK in 2012 for just one day - granted the UK version tends to be slightly less anticipated and for sure has lesser known bands but none the less is guaranteed to be something you won't forget in a hurry.

I have been lucky enough to go to the past 3 Warped Tours that have graced London's Alexandra Palace and although the first experience is yet to be topped they have in themselves been unbelievable events.

If you are at all into punk or rock music this is something you can't miss, it's one of the most immersive gigs you'll ever experience. It might have something to do with the full day of being inside one building with music constantly playing and being plunged into twilight darkness from about 2pm but whatever the reason, at 11pm you want to relive it all over again.

Unlike the previous tours I've been to I had barely listened to any of the bands on the line up, but in a way I preferred it as there was no pressure to be at the right stage and decide which bands you'd rather see if two conflicted on timings. We just walked around enjoying whoever was playing at the time, plus it was a great chance to find some new music to add to my spotify playlists.

My Top Perfomers -

Young Guns
Moose Blood
Memphis May Fire
Frank Carter and The Rattlesnakes
Black Veil Brides - the headliners who sadly had some technical issues at the end. Unfortunately I did feel a little deflated at this being the conclusion of the day, they just weren't quite my cup of rock band, especially compared to some of the others we'd seen that day. Don't get me wrong though they still put on a great show and fans of them were what can only be delicately described as bat shit crazy, which lends itself to an electric atmosphere.

I think my favourite of the entire day though has to be the prodigious Reel Big Fish, they are what I consider to be proper, old school pop punk. Lot's of swearing and angsty lyrics based on a feel good beat .... and who doesn't love the use of trumpets!?

A Quick Guide:
If you are considering going to next years Warped here are a few things to be aware of.

- You can't plan much. The Schedule is not released until the day so you won't know who is on and when until you arrive. Take a few minutes when you first arrive to decide who you want to see and organise your time then.

- You don't need to get there super early. Unless there is a particular band you can't miss seeing or some merch you just absolutely have to buy there's no need to queue (possibly in the rain) for any amount of time. Bands don't normally come on for a while after doors open, plus you're going to be on your feet a lot of the day anyway so why spend even more time standing in line?

- You will spend a lot of money. Tickets themselves aren't too expensive considering you have so many bands and it carries on until the late hours, however food and drink is extortionately priced and you aren't allowed to take anything in with you. Oh also they take any lids off of bottles that you buy so unless you can chug an entire 500ml of coke in one go (if you can that's a great talent good job!) I recommend buying one bottle at a time and sharing with someone because being in a crowd with a full bottle of drink and no cap is no fun at all.

- You will get sweaty. Even though it takes place in November the venue gets hot, and when I say hot I mean holiday to the sun kind of warm. Luckily there is a cloakroom so take a backpack with layers in that way you can strip down when inside but not feel like you've walked out onto the planet Hoth when you leave. For reference I wore an over size T-shirt and tights but put a hoodie and coat in my bag.

- Shoes. While we're on the topic of what to wear - COMFY SHOES. I can't stress this enough. If you don't think this through you will end up spending the whole day sitting on a gum covered, beer smeared floor because your feet are bleeding and probably debating carrying out a mutiny against you. If you've been to gigs before you'll already get where I'm coming from with this but for Warped multiply the amount of time standing by 5.

- Backpack etiquette. I've already mentioned that I always take a backpack and suggest you do the same, it's especially useful if you plan on buying lots of merch. However this decision comes with it's own set of concert rules. If you take one please for the love of god leave it in the cloakroom once you no longer need it. It only costs £2 and will mean you won't end up throwing out black eyes right left and centre no one will appreciate a mouth full of dirty canvas. Trust me.

Most importantly freaking enjoy it! It's a chance to listen to and possible meet your favourite bands (they do a lot of meet and greets throughout the day) or discover new ones that become your next obsession.

x

Fall Out Boy | 11th Nov 2015

Sunday, early afternoon, coffee and on a train to London. It was time to get excited as we were on our way (eventually) to Wembley arena to see Fall Out Boy!

I will admit that on their first run back in the noughties I actually didn't really get into them - obviously I knew Dance, Dance and Thnks fr th mmrs because who didn't? But my group of friends weren't actually big music fans in any form and when they did listen to music it was really only the chart stuff. So it was only on the release of Save Rock and Roll that I truly fell.... and fell hard for this band - you want an album that is simply perfection? That one.

We didn't get to the venue too early as we are old now and don't worry about queuing or being at the barrier any more! We ate our Pret A Manager risotto soup in the line and after a short wait headed in to get cider and our spot on the floor.

Three supports came on first and to be honest it wasn't anything special but they set up the night well for Fall Out Boy themselves. After a few hours .... yes hours, the lights finally dimmed, the screams began and four guys graced the stage.

The mix of new and classic songs they played were perfectly thought out, there was something for fans of every generation. I knew they'd put on an incredible show but I was still taken aback with just how good it was. The atmosphere was insane and you could feel the energy from every single person in the room.

This was intensified even more so when Patrick, Pete and Joe disappeared off the main stage only tp reappear in the middle of the crowd to play a few acoustics. I always feel a little sorry for the drummer at this point as they never get the chance to do the emotional, acoustic songs but this night was a very different situation. While those three made their way back to the main stage it was Andys turn to shine as he full on smashed it with an unbelievable drum solo! It was probably one of my favourite bits of the whole night.

As for the set list I honestly couldn't choose the best part, the whole thing was on point and I absolutely no one could fail to be impressed.
If you're a fan of Fall Out Boy or simply enjoy live music I can't encourage you enough to go and see these boys.

x

My First Blogger Meet Up.

I was very lucky to be able to attend a book blogger event at Walker publishers in London last weekend and here's what happened.

Actually before I tell you all about it I should probably explain how I, someone who has not blogged in months and even when she does it isn't often about books, managed to hustle an invite to this kind of event. Well it's all down to my beautiful love Sophie over at So Many Books, So Little Time - she is an incredible book blogger who has been going strong for many years now and just so happens to be my best friend.
The plan was already in place for me to go and stay with her when she was told about the meet up and rather than me changing the dates of my visit she asked if I could be her plus one, thankfully the wonderful people at Walker said I could crash the party.

We were up at the god awful time of 7am ... on a Saturday people. A Saturday! After a slightly misguided journey (thanks to engineering works and the stations for having no information on the platforms) we turned up in Vauxhall and met up with Sarah who is a blogger friend of Sophies and headed to the office.

The whole morning had a regency tea party theme because of Alison Goodman being one of the guests speaking to us about her book The Dark Days Club - set in regency London and following Lady Helen on her journey where she has to decide between taking her place in society or joining the sinister and dangerous world of demon hunting!
The first thing that happened? We ate croissants, which were later followed by scones with cream and jam and sandwiches galore. Once we'd successfully chowed down on the first lot of food we were hustled into the conference room where we had the chance to listen to a number of authors discuss their books -

Richard Kurti - Maladapted
Alison Goodman - The Dark Days Club
Nat Luurtsema - Goldfish

We were given the books of 2 of the above authors in a goodie bag along with 2 others, I did feel a tad guilty about taking the bag considering I was only there as an extra.... not guilty enough to not take it though. Obviously. I haven't quite decided which one to start with but I will definitely tell you all about them once they are released to the public.

Another speaker Nat Luutsema who is a comedian, actress, author, producer and all around super woman took some time to tell us about her new book, Goldfish, sadly it was not ready for us to take but I still want to tell you about it because the extract she read left me VERY excited for when it is published and I think you should be too. It is set to be hilarious, dry and one of those books you just won't want to end.

It was a fascinating morning and I loved learning more about publishing and what goes on behind the scenes - plus nothing gets you more wired to read than hanging with professionals and people who are insanely passionate about everything book!

Let me know if you've read any good books lately!

x

October and Me.

The mystical entity has returned. Yes I have finally sat my ass down with a cup of tea, Pointless on the tele and the fire burning which can only mean it's time to let my fingers do a little work out on the keys again.

It's been some time and if you have read any of my past posts you may guess why I've been absent in the world of blogging and pretty much all social media. I have become severely anaemic again which if you didn't know is a low level of iron and red blood cells (if you did know I'm sorry but carry on reading as I'm sure it'll eventually you'll come across something less repetitive!). This means there is much less oxygen getting around my body than it would like - that's the rather important role that red blood cells play. Oxygen is vital for normal respiration and general bodily functioning so being anaemic leaves the sufferer feeling like they've just run a marathon, up a mountain, with a small child on their back when in reality you've only just woken up .... oh and there's the super fun side effect of the constant headache and feeling all kinds of dizzy.

This isn't supposed to be a woe is me kind of ramble though and I know you might be sick to the back teeth of hearing about it because I know I am! I did feel like I owed an explanation though so there it is. Now that's done shall we move on?
I have been wanting to do this for a very, very long time but only now have I truly felt able to. Plus I have the motivation which is so nice to have back that I honestly can't wait to get back into the swing of this.

A hell of a lot of things have happened since we last spoke - I was on TV (yes I'm as surprised as you are), passed my driving test, been to Norway and a host of other incredible things which I will be updating you on over the next few days. The true inspiration for opening up my website again though was because October has already been and is set to continue to be a busy, tiring but amazing month. I can't wait to share what I'll be getting up to and hope you find it at least a little interesting to read about. Plus I always seem to be way more excited and energised about everything in the Autumn. Yes I know it's a complete internet cliche to love autumn but I unashamedly admit here and now I ADORE AUTUMN.
My body as a rule struggles with any sort of extreme weather, in summer I get heatbumps and in winter my hands get so dry they start to split .... delightful isn't it? Autumn is the only season I get some reprieve, plus Halloween and the lead up to Christmas are my favourite things to got overly enthusiastic about (yes I know Christmas is in winter but you can't be too early in preparation).

Let me know if you're an autumn person or prefer another time of year!
Let's chat soon.

x

TFT | Slow Me Down by Sara Evans.

I went through a bit of country phase a little while back and for some reason I am right back there.

I am SO feeling the upbeat melodies and occasionally ridiculous lyrics that this genre brings plus my country playlist will always make me smile.

The song I have chosen is actually a slightly slower option and the lyrics more serious but that's why I love it. It also has nothing to do with the singers rather amazing name.....

Let me know what you think.

x

AOTW | Equality Video.

This week is another video and I decided I wanted to share it because as you will already know I am a huge supporter of equality. For everyone.

I think as humans it's one of the basic ideas that people need to appreciate but a lot fail to understand. I don't know where it has come from but prejudice is rife among our species and it needs to change. The only way to do that is spreading messages of love and acceptance of all life.

For our generation the most current and obvious equality issues we face are based around sexuality. This video by FCKH8 (who I have mentioned before here) really brings home the fact that the inequality issues in the past now seem ludicrous. The more people learn about this the quicker they will see that all inequality is just as insane. Whether it be due to gender, disabilities, race or sexuality they are all just as harmful and unnecessary.

People should be considered for their personality and abilities not factors that they have no control over. Humans can be pretty awesome so why make a minority feel less awesome than they are? 

We are all equal.

 

x

A Lovely Weekend.

I have struggled to make myself write a post this week because of a few what I call BMHDs (bad mental health days - we all have these days when we don't feel quite ourselves, maybe a bit tired or low, and I think they are a perfectly good excuse for not being able to do things!)

But as I am trying to keep this blog a place of positivity I want to talk about my weekend because it was pretty awesome and nothing brings you out of a slump than thinking about the good times you've had. I actually thought it was going to be a really chilled few days as for the past couple of months I seem to have always had things to do at the weekends and this time I had zero plans
On Friday evening me, my mum and my sister watched Disneys Hercules together because that's how we roll.
Saturday I had my make up test done for my friends wedding because I'm going to be bridesmaid! It'll be my first ever experience of being a bridesmaid so expect another post about that!!

I never really wear much make up at all, a little bit of eyeliner and mascara and that's it so it was very strange to have a full face on! I actually found the process kind of relaxing, I did look a bit like a doll at the end though!
The bride to be and one of the other bridesmaids came with me which was lovely as we all got to discuss what we thought of the look and all the plans for the big day.

My family then had a BBQ that evening as my parents ended up not being able to go away in their caravan as the car gave up the ghost, leaving them with a load of left over bbq food! Of course we couldn't let it go to waste!

We then as a family watched The Incredibles which once again is because we are all very grown up.

Sunday was unplanned but we decided to take the dog for a walk somewhere a bit different and get a pub lunch. Whilst choosing where to venture we thought it would be nice to bring along my Grandma as well.
We went and picked her up and drove to an adorable little town where we had an INCREDIBLE meal!

It was called The Waterwitch and I had a vegetarian fish and chips... what in the hell is one of those I hear you ask?
Well it's chips (duh) and instead of fish it's battered and fried haloumi cheese and honestly I can't describe how tasty it was. Extremely unhealthy granted but I like to think that what's not good for the weight is good for the soul. I don't have a photo of the food as I may have got a little carried away and ate the whole thing before thinking!

Everyone enjoyed their food and after eating we headed down to the canal and strolled along there for a bit - making friends with some cows on the way .... my dog did not enjoy this part so much as he is utterly terrified of them.

We got home at about 5pm and chilled for the rest of the evening and it was just over all a really amazing weekend full of sunshine, pimms, good food and family.

Hope your weekend is just as good as mine was!

x

#TFT - I Touch Myself by Blondie.

A woo hoo new layout for #TFT!!! And just FYI that is my dog - his name is Jack and he's kind of awesome.

This might seem like a strange choice but I recently watched all three Austin Powers films and been listening to the soundtracks and I CAN'T GET THIS DAMN SONG OUT MY HEAD.

It's so catchy and highly inappropriate to be singing to oneself whilst at work and yet here I am....

I hope I'm not the only one that absolutely loves this super weird song?

x

AOTW | Bunny slugs.

These little creatures are adorable and that isn't a word often used to describe slugs. I noticed them when Green Peace mentioned them on their Facebook page and I saw the pictures of what seemed to be a little fluffy bunny with black ears!

They have come back to the forefront of social media since Japan has being going ca-razy over the sea slugs (or Jorunna Parva) and their little fluffy bodies. Their "ears" are actually what are known as rhinophores which are sensory organs allowing them to detect distance, scents and currents when in the water. They live in the waters around Asia and can be found all over from India to the Philippines to Japan.

They are only about 2cm in size so if they weren't cute enough their tinyness just makes it all a little over whelming!

Watch the video below to see the little peanuts in action!




x

I have opinions on fox hunting.

So I wasn't sure whether to make a post about this but I realised that it's something that I feel pretty darned strongly about so why shouldn't I discuss it on my blog?

If you haven't heard or are not from the UK our prime minister Mr Cameron is potentially bringing back the hunting of foxes using large packs of dogs.... without actually having to go through the effort of fully re-legalising it.

I won't go into loads of detail or preach mode about why I don't agree with this because it's not my place to tell you what to think or feel about this situation. The only thing I want to do is let people know if they were unaware or perhaps make others that weren't all that bothered about it think a little more.

Fox hunting is extremely barbaric, archaic and ineffective. The main excuse used for taking part in this activity (I refuse to call it a sport, sports are for equals to compete with fair advantages.) is to control the fox population - more foxes die on the roads than through this form of hunting. It's an inhumane way to remove these animals and often completely deranged in how they go about it. Foxes will be moved from one area to another so they are confused and lost, they will be chased to exhaustion even when they are far enough to not be a concern and vixens are ripped apart even though they rarely come in contact with humans or civilisation - they are also killed whilst carrying pups.

If you want to know more I suggest this article where a former hunter gives his some what altered thoughts and clearly knows more than I do.

If you have any opinions on this please feel free to share them in the comments.

I believe MPs will be voting and making a decision tomorrow, so if you feel the same way as me and wish to do something about it please write to your local MP - you can find yours here.

x