Blogtober Day 7 | Disney Favourites: Now

As I said yesterday, Disney is a huge part of a child's life but also of an adults life. In fact, I'm sat with a cup of tea, watching Oliver and Company as I write this post! I loved Disney when I was younger and I still love Disney, maybe even more so now.

The Toy Story Saga is in this picture! I liked the films as a child but they didn't quite make it into my favourites back then. Now, they definitely do. Toy Story was released in 1996, Toy Story 2 in 2000 and Toy Story 3 in 2010 meaning I have grown up with these films. I was fifteen when the 3rd film was released and I could not have been more excited to see it. I will nearly twenty three when Toy Story 4 is released and I can guarantee I will be one of the first people at the cinema!

Lilo and Stitch is forever going to be one of my all-time favourite Disney films, I'm forever going to own at least 6 Stitch stuffed toys and I have no shame in that. How can you not love a film that embraces being different as a good thing and explores family strengths and struggles through comedy and emotion. Plus, Stitch is adorable, adorable is always a good thing. Nothing will budge Lilo and Stitch from one of my top spots, not even my mum's constant moaning when I watch it.

Dinosaur, Fantasia, The Lion King 2, Pinocchio, Oliver and Company and The Little Mermaid 2 all remain in my favourites because you just cannot get any better in my opinion. Sure, The Little Mermaid was really good but when Ariel lives on land, has a daughter who trades her legs to Ursula's sister for a tail and leaves for the ocean, the sequel takes over for the better. The same goes for The Lion King 2. When Simba has a daughter who gets into all sorts of trouble with 'outsider' lions, the story improves and the plot thickens and ultimately it becomes better than the original film in my opinion. The soundtrack for the second Lion King is also one of my favourites so that may sway me slightly.

Fantasia contains a huge amount of beautiful, classical music paired with comedic, animated sketches involving all sorts of animals, Greek mythological creatures and Disney characters like Mickey Mouse. The music is peaceful, relaxing and it takes me back to watching with my nana, cuddled up on her chair. Pinocchio is a Disney classic that simply cannot be beaten. Watching gives you the realisation that everybody needs a Jiminy Cricket in their lives.

Dinosaur is incredibly underrated and I am very disappointed at how few people I know have actually seen it. Dinosaur demonstrates individual differences and strengths and that with support from those around you, you can do anything you believe in. It also has cute baby dinosaurs which is always a bonus! Oliver and Company is a film I appreciate more now than as a child. I understand the connections to the Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist and being a big Dickens fan, I appreciate the Disney interpretation very much. Adapting the Dickens novel into animals was genius and very cute.

Brave, Tangled, Maleficent and Monster University are really the only newer Disney films that have made it into my favourites. Let's start with Monsters University. I was starting university when this film came out so instantly it appealed. Like the Toy Story Saga, Monsters Inc waited and incredible amount of time to release a sequel. On one hand, the wait was unfair but when it eventually did happen, all children who originally watched Monsters Inc were grown up and in college or uni, just like the character. We grew up with the film. Many people are hesitant when Disney sequels are announced but Monsters University was absolutely fantastic. 

I feel like I have to mention Brave because I am a doppelganger for Merida and the film is Scottish. I would have loved Brave to have been released when I was younger so I could have had a princess to dress as and look up to. It does remind me a little of Brother Bear but I love that film to so I'm happy with that. I love Tangled because it demonstrates that you can venture out of your comfort zones and that you don't have stay somewhere that makes you unhappy; plus the songs are pretty catchy too!

Maleficent is an incredible live action Disney film. As a psychology student, I always wish to know the backstory of all characters in an attempt to explain their behaviour. Maleficent does that for me as her backstory is explored and her evil nature is explained. Despite her being a villain, I absolutely love her because of this film. Maleficent is definitely high up on my favourites list; Angelina Jolie portrays Maleficent to perfection and I could watch her every single day. 

I generally love all Disney films but this selection just has something else. As I said in my last post, if you haven't seen any of these films, please do watch! My favourites haven't changed that much over the years but there is always room for even more change in the future. Who knows what is going to happen to my favourites when the Beauty and the Beast live action is released? Or when Toy Story 4 is finally completed? I guess we'll just need to wait and see. I've gone a bit Disney crazy over the last few weeks and it seems to have reflected onto my blog, I'm loving it so hopefully you are too because there is still more to come!

xxx

Blogtober Day 6 | Disney Favourites: Then

Disney is a huge part of a child's life. Disney is also a huge part of an adults life. Disney is always going to be a huge part of life, it doesn't matter how old we get. When I was younger, I loved all Disney films but I definitely had some favourites that I would watch on repeat. 

There are so many amazing Disney films and I had many favourites as a child so this was a hard one to narrow down. I know what you are thinking though, why is Toy Story missing from that picture?! Well I did really like Toy Story but I happened to like these films a little better back then. 

I remember being very, very little and receiving the Dumbo VHS tape for Christmas. I was over the moon and watched it so often that by the time my birthday came along six months later, the VHS tape had to be replaced. Dumbo was probably my earliest Disney favourite. Next was probably Fantasia. My nana had the Fantasia VHS tapes and I used to watch them constantly whenever I was at her house. I loved the classical music, the dancing and all the animals. Surprisingly, my mum wasn't fond of Fantasia so was content with my nana keeping the VHS tape at her house for when I was there.

Another early favourite was The King and I. I don't own this on DVD as it is pretty hard to find nowadays but this was the first film I ever saw in the cinema. I went with my mum and my nana and I was constantly repeating lines from the film for weeks afterwards. I'm sure they regretted taking me to see it soon after! If you have seen The King and I, you will understand why I ran about the house for weeks shouting "Etcetera, Etcetera, Etcetera". My mum thought it was cute but it must have gotten on her nerves after the first week.

Oliver and Company was another VHS tape that had to be replaced more than once. I loved all the songs from this film (still do) and I loved the story. I didn't quite understand that it was based on the Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist when I was that age but I adored it all the same. So much so that I even named my teddy after it. You know that one teddy or toy you loved so incredibly much as a child. The one that will always mean more to you than all your other possessions? Well that's my teddy Oliver. He never left my side then and he never leaves my bed now.

The Little Mermaid, The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast are classic Disney films loved by all. Well, I actually preferred the sequels rather than the originals An unpopular opinion I know but what can I say?. I still loved the originals but for me, the sequels had that little something more. Sleeping Beauty is another I watched constantly but this time for one particular scene; the fairies attempting to make a birthday cake and dress for Aurora from scratch, without any magic. I have no idea why I love this scene so much, maybe because everything went so terribly wrong? My brother on the other hand was the complete opposite. He absolutely hated Sleeping Beauty because he was terrified of Maleficent, For years and years he wouldn't watch the film, started avoided all other films with witches too. Even now he tends to avoid it. 

Dinosaur is a such a classic, fantastic film and yet, hardly anybody I know has actually seen or heard of it. I would go as far as to say this was in my top 3 Disney films back then. I watched this with my brother nearly as often as I watched Dumbo. My brother and I were obsessed! Stuart even had one of the costumes to go with the film! He wore it constantly round the house, on outings, even to school once! We still have the costume, maybe one day when we have children we can do a reenactment photograph. 

Monster Inc was another that my brother and I constantly watched together. I think it was one of the first films we had on a disk instead of a VHS tape. It still wasn't a DVD though. My mum had somehow managed to burn the film onto two disks for us. The first half of the film on one disk, the second half on another. My brother and I always fought over who had to get up and change the disk. Even now when I watch our Monsters Inc DVD, I almost always think about changing the disk when it gets to trash room scene because that's what we did for years.

The Incredibles and Atlantis are ones my mum stereotypically thought my brother would love. In fact, it was me who loved them. Sure, Stuart liked them a little but he never really took to them the way I did. I wanted to be Violet from The Incredibles and I wanted to be as pretty as Kida from Atlantis. I loved the superhero theme of The Incredibles and I loved the adventure and mystery found in Atlantis. I even bought the games when they were released a couple of years later. I was actually playing The Incredibles on the PS2 the other night and becoming increasingly frustrated at how awful I have become.

I loved a lot of Disney films throughout my childhood but the number one spot has got to go to Lilo and Stitch. I was obsessed with this film and had (have) so many Stitch toys that my entire bed was covered with them. I soon discovered I could do a pretty good Stitch impression and from them on my mother wanted to kill me. Just when she thought the obsession was cooling down a bit, a Lilo and Stitch TV show was created and aired on Disney Channel, followed by some sequels. I love it and watched every single day. I watched a few episodes on YouTube a while back and it is still just as good. Lilo and Stitch is still one of my all time favourites, I even spent my sixteenth birthday in Disneyland Paris having breakfast with Stitch who then gifted another Stitch toy to add to the growing collection. What more could a girl really want?

I loved and watched all Disney films as a child but these were definitely my firm favourites. The stories, characters and soundtracks were all just so good. The Lion King and Lilo and Stitch sound tracks are definitely still two of my favourites. If you haven't seen any of the films I have mentioned in this post then you should 100% try and watch them. I promise you won't regret it!At the age of 21, my Disney favourites haven't changed massively, new films have been released over the years so naturally, some of them have made their way into my favourites.  In tomorrow's post I'll share with you what my current Disney favourites are. So, come back tomorrow and find out how much they have changed.

xxx 

Blogtober Day 5 | My Little Jar of Happy

I have the tendency to be quite negative, even my GP has told me to stop being so pessimistic! Usually at the end of a year people reflect and negative things have happened throughout the year then you are more likely to remember them in comparison to any positives. I do this all the time. So, this year, I decided to create a Little Jar of Happy. 

Each time something positive happens or something makes me really happy, I write it down on a colourful bit of paper, fold it in half and put it in this adorable jar I bought from Paperchase. This way, at the end of the year, I can go through the jar and read all the things that have made me happy throughout the year. So far, I have things like getting my Psychology degree, going to Airspace, seeing Sister Act: The Musical and Cinderella: The Ballet, providing first aid cover at Beyonce and going to Kenmore written down. Don't worry, there are a good few more than just those ones and I plan to have even more by the end of the year!

I'm really glad I started this project at the beginning of the year. Despite my pessimistic attitude, I am a very sentimental person so I think reading through this at the end of the year will be a good thing for me. To focus on the positives instead of the negatives. It is such a simple but worthwhile project, all you need is a little jar and some coloured sheets of paper! So if you think this is a good idea and good project to keep throughout the year, definitely give it a go!

xxx

Blogtober Day 4 | Unidays Student Event

If you are a student then you will have heard of Unidays. If you are a student and you haven't heard of Unidays then you are missing out some serious discounts and deals. If you haven't already, it's definitely worth checking out! Save yourself some money if you can.

As I have mentioned before, I go to Glasgow Caledonian University. Once a year, the main shopping centre's around Glasgow host a student evening when most shops offer massive discounts and freebies to all students. I've never actually went to one of these events before but this year I certainly wasn't missing out. 

Loads of shops had deals on, from New Look and Topshop to Thomas Sabo and Pandora! There was free food from Nando's and smoothies from Fuel being handed out. It was great atmosphere and I certainly took advantage of discounts being offered!

Surprisingly enough, I never bought any clothes during this shopping spree! The first place I headed to was SuperDrug, I wanted to check out the new Zoella Lifestyle range and to see if there were any of her other products on offer. As luck would have it, my favourite product of hers was on sale! The Scrubbing Me Softly Body Scrub is a favourite of mine, I love the scent and how smooth it makes my skin feel. Normally it is £8 but it was on offer for £2.50 so I couldn't resist! I also picked up the Candy Cream Body Lotion in the same scent for only £1. I've never used this product before but for £1 it's definitely worth a try! I am getting more into my skincare and trying to find out what works best for me so I picked up some self-heating face masks to try. I've never tried a self-heating face mask before so I'm looking forward to using them.

Next I went to The Body Shop in search for some of their Body Sorbets as they were offering a 30% discount. My mum was given the Tangerine Body Sorbet from a friend and gave it to me. I'd never used the Body Sorbet's before but after one use I fell in love with them. The scents are gorgeous, the texture is not too thick or greasy, it drys quick on the skin and your skin is left feeling incredibly moisturised and smelling fresh. I picked up three more Body Sorbets in the scents Pink Grape Fruit, Fuji Green Tea and Moringa and I cannot wait to try them, especially since I am taking more care with my skin.

Next I nipped into Claire's Accessories to pick up some head bands and bobbles, I always prefer the bobbles from Claire's because I have a lot of very thick and very curly hair. Most bobbles are not big enough for me to use properly but the Claire's ones are great so whenever I can, I pop and and pick up a few more. 

As you can see from the picture above, I bought a Zumba game for the Nintendo Wii. I'm not ashamed to admit that I love the Just Dance games for the Wii, they are one of the few games that I am actually good at! I also used to go to a Zumba class with one of my friends and I loved it but due to uni commitments, I had to give it up. When I seen this game it seemed like the perfect solution. I can dance about to the Zumba game almost as if I was attending a class but I can do it whenever it suits me and from the comfort of my own home. It was a win, win situation!

Back in the July of this year, I turned 21 and one of the gifts I received from my first aid family was a Thomas Sabo charm bracelet. There was four charms already carefully chosen for me on the bracelet and my aunt added another to it on my birthday. This left two spaces on the bracelet. I'd seen two charms online that I really liked, one was New York themed and the other was a simple silver pendant with the word Strength engraved. I feel like this charm is very fitting for me because there has been a fair few down moments in my life but I haven't let them keep me down. Somehow, I've always managed to rise up stronger than before. It was perfect and since I hadn't spent very much of my birthday money I decided to make a few purchases; there was a 20% discount for students as well so how could I say no?

They didn't have the New York charm in stock but they did have the Strength charm and a necklace I'd also seen and liked online. I was saving £40 so I ended up buying both the charm and the necklace. Thomas Sabo charms are designed to be interchangeable between various necklaces and bracelets. This means I can wear the Strength charm on my necklace or on my bracelet. I absolutely love this necklace, it means a great deal to me and I cannot wait to wear it as much as possible.

So many incredible offers at this student event made it impossible for me to take advantage of them all. I did take a little visit to Lush before I headed home and might made a few sneaky purchases but I'll save those for another post. I wouldn't have been able to purchase anywhere near as much as I did today without the student discounts so if you don't have a Unidays account, I recommend signing up as soon as possible. Us student need all the discounts we can get!

xxx

Blogtober Day 3 | Sister Act: The Musical

Sister Act is one of my favourite films. If you haven't seen it then I highly, highly recommend. Deloris is a singer and girlfriend to a mobster, when she witnesses him commit murder, she is relocated for her own protection. She is placed in a convent. Deloris is as far from a nun as you can possibly get! The film is light-hearted, humerous and definitely makes you want to join in with the singing and dancing! For me, the audience atmosphere makes the stage musical even better.

I've seen Sister Act: The Musical once before; it was a local production starring a few girls I was in school with and it was very good. It made me smile, laugh, sing along and even dance a little too. When I heard that a larger production of the musical was coming to Glasgow I instantly started searching for tickets. My mum and I have discovered that musicals and shows are our thing. We are very different so never usually like the same things but musicals and shows are one thing we do have in common. We have gone to a fair few over the last two years and we intend to go to a few more next year too! Mum loves Sister Act so when she agreed to go and I managed to get tickets for us, I was over the moon! Somehow, I always manage to get us great seats and this time was no different. The tickets were a little more pricey than normal but I assumed it was because of the scale of the production and because it was Craig Revel Horwood directing and choreographing the production. I found out a week later that it wasn't because of Craig Revel Horwood, Alexandra Burke had been cast as the character of Deloris!

It was a busy morning for me before I could really get excited for the show but once I got home from university, had a lush bath and got ready, the excitement surfaced. Mum and I went for dinner before the show like we had done before each of the other shows. I had pasta and she had steak and a sneaky bit cheesecake for dessert too! Mum had worn the top and boots I'd gotten her for her birthday which looked amazing on her but didn't feel too amazing whilst walking to the venue that's for sure! There was a massive queue when we got there, I was a little worried we would get seated in time but everything was fine, I even had time to buy a programme.

The show was AMAZING. From what I could tell, it was quite a small cast group. Each cast member played an instrument and incorporated their instruments into each scene as they played the music for the scene. There was everything from violins and saxophones to tambourines and shakers! They are a talented bunch! Alexandra sang incredibly to no surprise but the way she captured the character of Deloris was spot on. I never realised how good an actor Alexandra was because I've only known her from her singing career but she portrayed Deloris and her sassy personality perfectly. Alexandra was definitely a perfect choice for the role. She had the crowd laughing, cheering and singing along with every song. I would 110% go and see her in Sister Act again, I'd go again tonight if I could! There isn't a better person to portray Deloris Van Cartier in my opinion. She wasn't scared to embrace the 'over the top' personality, the diva attitude or the horrendously funny dance moves! Alexandra's singing was outstanding, the singing coming from the audience... not so much. Everyone was having such a wonderful evening, even my mum was attempting to sing along!

Sister Act is touring all around the UK and if you can get your hands on some tickets I would more than recommend doing so! The performance was well worth the money. Craig Revel Horwood has produced and choreographed a fantastic show. I would attend every night the performance shows in Glasgow if I could! Of all the shows and musicals I have seen, this one is definitely in my top 3. 

My mum knows how much I love Sister Act and she must have noticed the constant smile on my face throughout the entire performance because she surprised me with a Sister Act T-Shirt afterwards and told me she'd ordered the soundtrack online as well! No doubt she'll regret that decision after a week of me playing the soundtrack but in that moment she could not have made me any happier! I'm so glad she enjoyed her night, she definitely needed it. It was nice to see her laughing and joining in with the songs, it was even better to see her smile as much as she did.

Going to performances with my mum is one of my favourite things to do and I cannot wait for the next one. It makes us both so happy. Surprisingly we haven't booked anymore just yet but no doubt that'll change shortly going by our track record. There is another ballet coming to Glasgow in January and The Woman in Black is also coming back, I reckon it would take a lot of convincing for her go and see those with me but fingers crossed!

xxx 

Blogtober Day 2 | Current Top 5 YouTubers

Today's post is not the one I originally had going up today and it's also going up a little later than I'd planned so I'm off to a great start! Today's post is quite random but I didn't really have a lot of time to spare today (you'll find out about that tomorrow) so this is what we have ended up with. 

YouTube is very relevant today and very popular. Everybody either watches videos, posts their own videos or does both. I don't have the courage to post my own videos just yet so I stick with watching them instead. I do watch a lot of YouTubers so narrowing down my favourite ones was a lot harder than anticipated. In the end this is what I went with.

1) Anna Saccone & Jonathan Joly (SacconeJoly's)

If you don't know who the SacconeJoly's are then you are majorly missing out! They are a little Irish family who live in Surrey and they are daily vloggers. Sound pretty simple right? Well when you throw in two adorable, funny and sassy children, six dogs and another baby on the way for mum Anna and dad Jonathan, it get's a little hectic! I absolutely love the SacconeJolys, they are so genuine and any vlog of theirs is sure to put a smile on your face. 

2) Gabriella Lindley (Velvetgh0st)

Gabby is obsessed with cats, make-up, fashion, home decor and musicals, she even has her own Primark range! She is such a funny and down-to-Earth person. With her, you get reality, whether it's positive or negative. That is one of the many things I love about Gabby. She puts so much effort into her work and into every single one of her videos as well and you can definitely tell!

3) Dodie Clark (Doddleoddle)

Dodie is amazing. That is literally all you can say about her. She is funny, sings and writes songs, expresses her opinions and explores herself with her audience on YouTube. Like Gabby, she doesn't pretend life is all happy and dandy, she shows people the realities of life. She can cheer you up when you are feeling down, relate to you with one of her songs and make you contemplate life and existence all in one video, what is there not to like?

4) Jamie Jo (BananaJamana)

Jamie is actually one of the newer YouTubers I have been watching and I wish I had started watching her A LOT sooner. The talent she has for art is beyond insane! I can only imagine how much time, effort and skills go into some of her art videos. She is massively under rated in my opinion. Jamie is also obsessed with anything cute and anything Disney so most of her videos run along those themes. Jamie is married to another YouTuber, Tom. Together these two make the most adorable couple in existence. Jamie amazes me with her skills and then makes me smile when she shares snippets of her day to day life with Tom. If you have never watched Jamie before you definitely should, you won't regret it one little bit!

5) Fabulous Hannah

Hannah is a YouTuber I used to watch every now and then for a good while but recently, I've been watching her non-stop, especially her vlogging channel. Hannah is three years younger than me, lives in Essex and her personality reminds me of Adele. Hannah is very pretty, funny and makes your standard YouTube videos but her personality is so laid back and relaxed that she draws you in. I love watching her video's because I feel like I would get on with her pretty well and we have similar taste in fashion.

There we have it, my current top 5 YouTubers. I watch an endless number of bigger and smaller YouTubers and this list probably changes on a monthly basis but for now, this is who I'm loving. Is there anybody else I should be watching? Let me know.

xxx

Blogtober Day 1 | Where have I been?

Hey there! It's been a while since I blogged but I am back and ready to blog! 

6 weeks is a hefty break I know but believe me, I definitely needed it. Getting organised for my honors year at university has been a lot harder than anticipated. I am doing Psychology at university and 4th year presents me with all the captivating, yet challenging modules. From now until December, I will be doing Forensic & Criminal Psychology, Developmental Psychology and then working on my Research Dissertation. Then from January until April, it'll be Counselling Psychology, Mental Health Psychology and completing my Research Dissertation. All these modules require a number of books and a lot of background reading. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy all the reading but it is a great deal more time consuming now compared to last year.

Apart from university, there has been a little drama within my personal and family life. Nothing to worry about really, just a bit of a wobble. Supporting each other whilst we work through this wobble together is one of the main reasons we've managed to stay together. My family had to come first.

It's been a frenzied few months but things are finally getting back on track. Right now, things are good; I'm organised with my university work (for now) and my family is slowly but surely getting back on track again. I can direct some of my focus back onto blogging again! And, what better way to drive back into the blogging world than with Blogtober?!

I have a lot planned for Blogtober and I can't wait to share all my ideas with you all. It's going to be a busy month with lot's of different posts, so keep an eye out!

xxx

Primark Homeware Haul | August 2016

Everyone loves Primark; it's cheap and pretty good quality for the price! I usually get quite a lot of my basics from Primark and the occasional homeware item. Recently, the homeware at Primark has been on point! There is an amazing, colourful, Moroccan/Mandala theme in store and I am LOVING it!

You never go into Primark and come out with exactly what you went in for and nothing else. Trips to Primark just do not happen like that. I originally went in to exchange a pair of shorts for a smaller size. Instead, I came out with a fair bit of homeware, from bedding and pillows to candles and decorative pieces. I picked up a little something of everything.

 The first items that instantly caught my eye were three pillows. A colourful, kaleidoscope print pillow (£5), a white pillow with golden polka dots (£3) and a rose gold pillow with a cracked effect (£5). Together I think these three pillows compliment each other extremely well! The next item I could not leave the shop without purchasing was the most beautiful bedding set. A mixture of warm and cool colours creating a visually stunning Mandala/Moroccan print that I just had to have. It was only £8 for a single duvet set and in my opinion, that is a must have! Plus, the bedding would look great with the pillows I was also purchasing and the other pillows I already had at home! For once I couldn't wait to change my bed sheets, my mum was thrilled!

I also picked up a cream throw (£5) to use as a background for taking my blog pictures. It's not as fluffy as I would have liked but at the price of £5 I can't really complain. Primark always catch you out whilst you're waiting in line to checkout. You think you are finished shopping but Primark disagree's. I ended up with a packet of fairy lights, two candles with a blue Moroccan/Mandala print and two silver arrows that I also plan on using in backgrounds of blog photos. The candles were reduced to £1 each, the fairy lights reduced to £3 and the silver arrows were only £1.50 each, the candles have such a lovely fresh scent and I can definitely use the printed jars once the candles have been used and the fairy lights will look very pretty around my bed once the new bed sheets are on.

Primark have so much lovely homeware stocked at the minute and I have been avoiding Primark for a while because I know I'll end up buying even more homeware items! There is already another bedding set I've been eyeing up, maybe a matching pillow too! I'd love to paint my room white and have touches of gold with some Morrocan/Mandala's thrown in there, I think it would look stunning. If you haven't been into Primark in a while you should definitely check out their homeware range, it is all so colourful with such stunning prints. 

xxx

Evening Walks & Midnight Monopoly

It is supposed to be summer in Scotland at the minute, between the thunder & lightning, torrential rain and then the rare days of the sun splitting the skies, you really wouldn't think. It's a typical Scottish summer! When the sun does decide to make an appearance, the sun cream, sunglasses, t-shirts and shorts are on and out a big, long walk with the dogs we go.

Despite living in the same house for 16 years and walking round the reservoir nearby at least five times a week since then, you never really tire of the scenery; especially when it's sunny. Since I've gotten more into photography, the reservoir has been a very useful place to take photographs. 

I find it so calming to go a walk; especially in the sunshine. My brother has been going out walking a lot more too. Well, I'll rephrase that, my brother has been going out Pokemon hunting a lot more. He is obsessed with the game! I have played a little but I haven't gotten as into Pokemon Go as everybody else has. There is a Pokestop located within the reservoir which I guess is good for if I do get more into the game instead of taking photographs. For now, taking photographs is more my thing, I think I'm improving a little too! 

Much later on in the night, my brother completely surprised me by asking me to play Disney Monopoly with him and his girlfriend. I absolutely LOVE board games, always have done, especially Monopoly. I have been begging him to play any sort of board game with me for years but he has always been too reluctant. I believe Christmas should be spent with family, eating delicious food, watching cheesy movies and playing board games. That is my ideal Christmas but nobody in my family is really fond of board games so I miss out on those. So when Stuart asked me to play Monopoly with him and Louise, I was over the moon! Even though it was midnight. Everybody knows it's a bad idea to start playing Monopoly late but I didn't care and it was Disney Monopoly and Disney makes everything 100x better. I am quite competitive at Monopoly so when my brother started buying up all the properties I usually buy, the challenge was on. I would not be defeated. Fast forward 3 hours and Louise was bankrupt, Stuart owned every single property on the board besides the oranges and the reds, yet I was still winning. Fast forward another 30 minutes and we called it a night, totalled up our money and went to bed. Naturally, I won (if I could insert an emoji here, it would be the sassy girl for sure).

Playing Monopoly with my brother accumulated all the feelings of nostalgia. We always used to play board games as small children, then he discovered X Box and PS4. I am determined that this was not a one off thing, I have Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, Golden Balls, Cluedo, Scrabble, Trivial Pursuit and Battle Ship and they are all longing to be played. Did you have a favourite board game you loved to play? What is it?

xxx

Book Haul | July 2016

So I bought some more books. Did I need them? Probably not. Do I have space for them? Not really. So why did I buy them? I had an Amazon voucher and they are very pretty. I feel like those are the only justifications needed. My mum constantly moans at me when I buy books or clothes which is when I try and remind her that she is lucky her daughter would rather buy books, clothes or pretty stationary rather than alcohol at pubs and clubs. She has yet to see this is a valid point but we'll get there, especially when there are A LOT of books on my wishlist. For now though I have six more books to add to my collection.

The first book added to my basket was The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I technically already own this book on my Kindle but it is most definitely one of my favourite books so I just had to have a physical copy to display on my shelf too! The Book Thief is quite well known because of the film that was made but for those of you who haven't heard of it... go out and get yourself a copy asap. It is set in 1939 Germany, during the height of the Nazi hierarchy. The book is narrated by death and follows nine year old Liesel as her parents are sent to a concentration camp and she is sent to live with a foster family where Liesel uses books as her coping mechanism. This book is beautifully and cleverly written and I would recommend it to anyone.

The second book added to my basket was actually because of Zoe Sugg's video about her WH Smith Book Club Picks. She mentioned Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell in her video amongst numerous others. I already own one of the other books she mentioned in her video (All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven) and all the other books she spoke about weren't really for me; I don't tend to enjoy books about love and relationships. However, Fangirl caught my fancy. I am excited to read this book as it follows twin girls, Wren and Cath, as they head off to university. Wren is the more outgoing one who wants to embrace the student life and go to parties, meet boys and let her hair down whereas Cath likes to keep to herself and write but is slowly opening herself up to new experiences. I was initially drawn to this book because of Cath's character as I feel like I am very similar, hence the reason why I'm looking forward to reading it.

The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson is about a transgender boy called David who is desperate to keep his secret and be a 'normal' kid at high school. I was immediately drawn to this book as I haven't really came across any books with a transgender story line before and as a psychology graduate and a person who views people as people regardless of gender, religion or sexuality, I thought it would be an interesting read. Hopefully it will provide people with more knowledge and understanding of the topic so that others do not have to live in fear. The book also has a hashtag that can be used on Twitter to go along with the story which I like a lot, #WhatIsNormal. I love this message because it is so incredibly true, no person is the same as another and that is an incredibly positive thing that isn't shown or embraced as much as it should be within society.

The fouth book I purchased was actually in the recommended section on Amazon and I am not going to deny the fact that I clicked for more information because of the pretty cover and strange name. The Smell of Other People's Houses by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock is set in Alaska in 1970 and follows four people experiencing difficulties in their lives. Ruth wants to be remembered, Dora wishes to be invisible, Alyce wants to leave but can't summon the courage and Hank is running away. I have read books before that are narrated by different protagonists and I quite enjoyed them so I'm looking forward to making my way through this one too.

The last two books I purchased were also in the recommended section on Amazon and are both by the same author, Ruta Sepetys. Between Shades of Gray explores the life of Lina, her mother and her brother as Soviet guards rip them from their home and everything they know and love and deport them to Siberia. Lina doesn't know if she will ever see her friends or the rest of her family again but she refuses to give up hope. Salt to the Sea is also set in Germany during the war and is narrated by four protagonists. Each of them come from different lands, each of them are effected by devastation and war and each of them are hoping to board a ship that promises safety, security and freedom; The Wilhelm Gustloff. Both of these books sound incredible and appear to have similar themes to The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (which is one of my all time favourite books); destruction, survival and strength. Based on that alone, I think I am going to really like these books.

I am really looking forward to working my way through these books. They all sound so good! I am being kept fairly busy at the moment between my first aiding and work but hopefully I can find some time here and there to delve into them. No doubt at least one of these books will end up in a monthly favourites at some point or I might even write a Book Review on the ones I really like. Let me know if you have read any of these books or if there are others you would recommend that you loved and think I might like!

xxx 

Update | Where Have I Been?

20 days. I haven't blogged in 20 days; that's nearly an entire month! I know that way back when I first created my blog I took a substantial (7 month) break but that was at the beginning; I was still learning. That's the excuse I'm going with anyways! The end of June and first couple of weeks of July were extremely busy for me. I was planning and organising my 21st birthday party, I got a second job and I was a volunteer first aider at the Beyonce concert at Hampden Park and at T in the Park again this year.

I'll start with my 21st birthday party, which was organised for July 2nd (2 days before my actual birthday). A party is very stressful to organise and can be quite expensive. I knew exactly how I wanted the hall decorated and what type of food I wanted to provide for guests, it was just a case of sorting it all whilst sticking to a budget. Despite the initial stress and panic, everything came together nicely. There was a couple of little problems here and there but overall it was a success and everybody had a good time. There will be a post up about it all shortly.

Secondly, I got another job. As I have mentioned before, I am a volunteer first aider for the Scottish charity St Andrew's First Aid. There are hundreds of first aiders that dedicate as much time as they can to this amazing organisation and through one of them I was lead to an owner of a private ambulance company. Not only did he employ people for his company, he was looking for somebody with first aid experience and a caring nature to provide palliative care for a gentleman whom he was close friends with. I got the job and a position within his company. I was over the moon about this as I am a naturally caring person who is always keen to learn and expand and enhance my skills and experience. The gentleman was lovely and even though I only got to meet him about 6 or 7 times, I'd grown quite fond of him, we got on quite well. Unfortunately, medical complications resulted in his passing shortly after I began caring for him. 

Finally, T in the Park. Last year, I was a first aider at T in the Park and it was the best experience of my life. I had all my close first aid friends with me, I was kept constantly busy from early morning until very late at night and I treated A LOT of people with A LOT of different (and sometimes odd) injuries. Despite there barely being enough time to sleep and eat, I absolutely loved it and could not wait until T in the Park came around once again. This year I would be providing first aid cover at Hampden Park for the Beyonce concert first (which was INCREDIBLE) and then heading straight through to T in the Park. As a first aider this year, I wasn't actually that busy in comparison to last year (which is a good thing) but resulted in me being a little bored at times. Nevertheless I still ended up covered in mud and god knows what else. It was still a long weekend that's for sure. I left my house at 8am on Thursday 7th July and didn't get home until 10pm on Monday 11th July. I was filthy from head to toe and completely exhausted! Once I recovered from T in the Park, there was still the small matter of cleaning all the equipment we had taken to T in the Park in the first place. You'd think we'd left everything lying in the rivers of mud the entire weekend with the state that some the equipment was in. Nevertheless, it had to be cleaned. It took a couple of days to clean everything properly!

As you can see, I have been kept very busy over the last couple of weeks. I am not using that as an excuse but it has definitely been a learning process for me. In future I should have extra blog posts written and ready to upload for times when I do become busy. Incidentally, I am going to be kept fairly busy until the end of July as I have a funeral to attend and yet another festival to provide first aid cover for. I do have blog posts planned out so I'll have them written in advance all ready to be posted for you guys to read and (hopefully) enjoy.

xxx

Air Space

Air Space is a trampoline warehouse that contains over 100 interconnected trampolines. There are five Air Space locations spread out within the UK; Glasgow, Wolverhampton, Stevenage, Manchester and Liverpool. At Air Space you can play on the trampoline dodgeball or basketball courts, trampoline football area, general trampoline area, giant air bags, power trampolines, gymnastics mat or ninja run. I had heard so many people talk about this place when it first opened and I desperately wanted to go but just couldn't find a time that worked out convenient for everybody. Until last week.

For my birthday last year, I was given two vouchers to use at Air Space. I chose to use them last week. My brother, his girlfriend and I decided on a 90 minute Freestyle Jumping Session which meant we could have a go on absolutely everything there was in the warehouse. When we got there, it was even better than I'd expected! The place was massive and there was so many things to do that we had a tough time deciding where to begin!

We watched the safety brief and got our special non-slip jump socks and off we went. We all became about 10 years old again! Well, minus the fitness level. The general trampoline area was at the very back of the warehouse and that's the first place we headed to. After about 20 minutes, the three of us were absolutely knackered and there was still so much more to do! There was the Dodgeball Courts, Basketball Shoot-Out, Penalty Area, Air Bag, Ninja Run and the Power Trampolines! I loved the basketball area because being able to slam dunk the ball into the net felt amazing. My favourite thing out of the whole warehouse was actually the Air Bag. Essentially, you climbed on top of a 15ft platform and took a running jump off the platform, landing on a massive air bag. Nobody thought I would be able to build up the courage to do it since I hate the feeling of falling and can't even watch somebody fall from a height on TV but I did it and I LOVED it! So much so that I went up again and again and again! My brother liked the Power Trampolines best because they bounced you higher into the air and that way, he could so more flips, tricks and wall run too! 

Our 90 minutes went in very fast and before we knew it, out time was over. We still managed to have a try at the Ninja Run before we left. I was terrible at it! Two beams of different heights rotated around at different speeds and the challenge was to jump and duck to avoid them but remain on your little individual platform at the same time. I don't think I even lasted a minute! My brother was really good at this though and he won. He was great at everything in Air Space, the Ninja Run, Dodgeball and Basketball, not to mention all the flips and tricks he can still do after his years at gymnastics. It was pretty cool to see him do all of this with minimal effort. I attempted a front flip but it didn't go as well as Stuart's did.

Air Space was an AMAZING day out, I would 100% recommend this activity for anyone. It would be great for kids parties, parties in general, work nights out or if you simply want to feel like a kid again like we did. It's fairly cheap as well, only £13.95 each for a 90 minute session with access to all the activities. That day was one of the best I've had in ages and I definitely plan to go back sometime soon with some friends.

xxx

A Short Break Away | Last Morning at Kenmore & Travelling Home

The days have went by so quickly! We'd barely arrived and it was already our last morning in Kenmore. It had been such a lovely few days that none of us wanted it to end; we all wanted to spend one more day in the absolute serenity that surrounded us! Unfortunately we only had one last morning before we had to return back home, back to reality. 3 hours was not a lot but we certainly made the most of it.

For once, all four of us were awake, dressed and had everything packed in the car with enough time to all walk the dogs together one last time before checking out. We walked the longest route, swung on tree swings, walked in the river and climbed some trees. I didn't fall out this time! Even one of the dogs attempted to climb onto one of the fallen trees, what a dafty! It was a perfect morning and what better way to finish it than to go and have breakfast together. The restaurant at Kenmore allows pets to sit with their owners inside whilst they eat as long as they behave. I love this rule because it means Millie and Buttons can just lie under the table and we actually get to have breakfast instead of grabbing something to eat in the car. The restaurant is a little pricey but for once, we didn't really care about the money; plus the portion sizes were pretty big. Mum, Stuart and Louise all got some form of eggs on toast, either scrambled or poached. I got the Scottish breakfast so Stuart could have the sausages and black pudding to go with his scrambled eggs on toast. I don't like them so I was content with that deal because in my opinion, I got to eat the best breakfast items; bacon, scrambled eggs, potato scone, beans, toast and grilled tomato. Naturally, we all had fruit juices and cups of tea as well. The fruit juice was all freshly squeezed from locally sourced fruits. I think this made it taste even better. Breakfast was delicious but now our 3 hours were up and it was time for us to check out and head home.

There is a bit of a funny story attached to our checkout experience. We have been to Kenmore countless times in the past and everything always goes smoothly. However, this time when we went to checkout we were greeted by a most confused receptionist. When we handed over the keys and explained that we had asked for the cottage until 11am, in case she thought we were late in checking out but her facial expression just grew more confused. She asked us to wait one moment whilst she double checked a few things on her computer. A couple of minutes later she explained her confusion to us. On our email conformation it said our checkout date was 2nd June. We normally went to Kenmore for 5 days and 4 nights or the  full week so we assumed this time was no different. On the actual booking form and database, we had actually been booked in and paid for 6 days and 5 nights. We had just checked out a day early! The receptionist gave us the option of going back to the cottage and checking out the following day but my mum hadn't taken extra days off work and my brother had his final college assessments to finish so we couldn't stay. Much to our dismay, we handed the keys over and headed home, leaving this serenity behind us once again.

Our journey home was nothing out of the ordinary, after picking up snacks and juice, we were all prepared for the next few hours in the car, with music blaring of course. The weather was still so incredibly warm so the car soon became a sauna which was a little problematic but after a while of having all the windows open, we were all fine. Mum's arm's got even more tanned on the way home so she was happy! The whole way home I think my mum and I were in a little state of shock at the fact we'd checked out a whole day early. Especially after saying all we wanted was one more day at Kenmore, how ironic. Even though we have been home for four days, I still don't think she is over the day we missed out on. Despite the little mix up at the very end, our short break away was just what we all needed. So relaxing and peaceful with the bonus of fantastic weather! I would love to go back as soon as possible or maybe even start planning a trip abroad, somewhere I have never been before. I want to start travelling to different places and explore various countries and cultures but the possibilities are endless and it would take a lot of organisation, planning and money. There is no harm in looking though, is there?

xxx

A Short Break Away | Kenmore Day 3

I feel like these blogs must be boring because Kenmore is isolated and a place to relax and do absolutely nothing so I don't have anything exciting to really blog about. Nevertheless, I said I would blog each day I was away and I shall. Day 3 was even sunnier than the previous two! It was so much hotter and Loch Tay became a lot busier too. My mum was planning on sunbathing for the majority of the day as usual; the woman is a sun worshipper. Me, I was planning on blogging, reading and maybe exploring even further through the woods.

When we walked the dogs, we chose one of the different routes this time but ended up coming back to the cottage a lot earlier than planned. Millie (my youngest dog) kept getting scared for some unknown reason, she just wouldn't walk any further than our halfway point and wouldn't walk ahead of us no matter what, it was like she was hiding behind us the whole way. Since we didn't walk them as far, we let them swim a lot longer than usual to cool them down and to tire them out before returning to the cottage for breakfast. I think if they were given the option of swimming all day they certainly would and it was so hot that I don't blame them! Even though our walk was cut short, it was still gorgeous, looking up at the trees when it is so bright and sunny allowed for some cool photo's to be taken.

After breakfast, both mum and I sat outside on the wooden balcony to read and listen to music. I couldn't stay outside too long because I forgot sun cream and my skin was definitely burning. I got to read a good couple of chapters of Jane Eyre though and I have to say that I am enjoying it so far. Throughout the afternoon, the temperature continued to rise to the point when even my mum came back inside. This is when we decided it would be a good idea to go and sit in the shade, by the loch, with out feet in the water. We did go and sit by the loch and mum did have her feet perched in the water. I however, decided it was shallow enough to walk out into the loch instead of just staying at the waters edge, so that is what I did. I also thought it would be a great idea to take my phone out with me. I was terrified of dropping it in the loch because I really don't have a good track record with phones but I was being extra careful. The photograph I managed to snap made it worth it. My phone is doing a great job but I cannot wait to get a decent camera to take even better photographs. I wandered about the loch for a good hour or so, the dogs joining me every so often. People were out in canoes, paddle boats and even proper sailing boats! I don't like boats myself but it did seem like a lot of fun.

An afternoon in the lake definitely cooled everybody down in time to go back to the cottage, get changed and decide what was for dinner. We decided on fish and chips. Since the nearest village is a 15 minute drive away, Stuart and Louise picked a second film to watch that night whilst mum and I went to get dinner. Since mum and I had already picked Ice Castles; a film about a figure skater who loses her sight but continues to skate, it was only fair for them to pick a film too. Unfortunately for me, they picked The Avengers. I had never seen it but superhero movies aren't really my cup of tea - besides the original Spiderman films, they are great. I am not too keen on fish either so I just got chips for dinner, with ice cream for desert.

I wasn't too fond of The Avengers but I think it was mainly because it was all of the superheros all at once so I think I am going to give some of the individual films a go. I did like when Hulk comedically punched a guy out of camera shot, that was the best moment of the whole film. Our last full day at Kenmore was great. Going home was not appealing to any of us just quite yet but there was nothing we could do. We planned to walk the dogs one last time and then all go for breakfast together before heading home. Our time at Kenmore has been brilliant and too short as usual but all we can do is make the most of it whilst we can and enjoy the stunning surroundings.

xxx