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

A Short Break Away | Kenmore Day 2

Waking up in Kenmore on day 2 had me feeling a lot better than the previous day. I was actually looking forward to the early morning dog walk, taking photographs and just generally relaxing and enjoying myself for the majority of the day. The view that welcomes you when you awaken each morning at Kenmore is beautiful. I will never tire of looking at Loch Tay or the hills and woodlands behind it.

We started our day off with a long walk through one of the many forest pathways with our dogs. There are at least five different forest pathways to explore but the one right next to river Tay is my favourite. The pathway is very wide as it is frequently used by horses and their riders but it also splits into smaller, more narrow paths. There is one main pathway but because several others branch off from it leaving you with many choices, you would be left walking all day if you wanted to walk them all.The path also takes you past a couple of little cottages, a caravan park that contains some stunning caravans (I will own one some day), a play park that is extremely tempting to play on, a tower, a church and the most important thing, a tree swing. This is not just any tree swing though, this tree swing has existed for the last seven years and is the most comfortable tree swing I have ever found. My mum has even had a go on this swing and she hates all swings; they make her sick. There is a lot to see on this forest trail and it is situated near a golf club so all the surrounding woodland has been left completely natural. The weather was gorgeous all day which made me even more eager to take some photographs. 

The dogs had a great time swimming in the river and then we went back to our cottage for some lunch. After lunch we didn't have anything planned. My brother and Louise were going swimming again but mum and I had nothing specific planned. I was hoping to spend the rest of my day reading, writing blogs and potentially thinking of ideas for a fan fiction that I'm contemplating writing. It is based on a show that I am a little obsessed with, there is no denying that, my couple of ideas are just too good and riddled with potential that I can't ignore them. That is exactly how I spent my afternoon, out in the sunshine, reading and writing, with music playing in the background; Serenity. The day could not have been more relaxing. We did wander over to the only nearby shop for some ice-cream later on in the day. It was one of the best decisions that were made, who knew vanilla, fresh raspberries, oats and honey could be such a delicious combination?!

Our second day at Kenmore was nothing short of relaxing and sublime. I know some people go on holiday and have lot's of activities planned with places to go and visit, but here there isn't anything nearby so you don't have to make any plans or commitments. You simply make the most of what surrounds you; woods and nature. I don't have much planned for tomorrow besides walking the dogs and visiting the little shop nearby. If the weather is nice enough, I might even take a wander into Loch Tay! There is a lot of potential for some astounding photographs if I do. So stay tuned for that possibility!

xxx