October 2016 | Monthly Wrap Up

Monday, 31 October 2016

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October, you babe.

Favourite part?


This month has honestly been great, and that’s been all down to my friends. They and my family made my birthday absolutely amazing and I couldn’t be more grateful. I felt so loved and included and happy. It was an ordinary yet exceptional day. Half term was great, I was productive and saw a lot of people I haven’t seen for a few months, which was lovely. I’ve just generally had a great time this month.


Best read?


This month I’ve read a lot of poetry. When I say a lot, I mean A LOT. I’ve been finding so many poems on YouTube and on Pinterest as well as in poetry books. I read Sylvia Plath’s Ariel and loved it and have started reading Radio 4’s collection of love poems, which has an amazing selection! Another poetry book I started looking at is Maya Angelou’s And Still I Rise. I also read The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood for my English course and started reading Homer’s The Odyssey for Classics.


Favourite tunes?


Tourist by Jon Cozart and Shout Out to My Ex by Little Mix have been playing on repeat this month! I love them both for different reasons but I highly recommend both. (And obviously, I’ve been listening to ABBA as well. How could I not?)

What did I learn?


Friends are great. So are college hash browns.

What’s happening next month?


November… Back into college. Mostly college. It’s my friend Anna’s birthday but apart from that, I can’t really think of anything else.

What’s been on my mind?


New poems and college work. My novel has been on my mind loads and I’ve written way more than my original goal for this month.


Favourite blogger/vlogger?


I have to admit I haven’t been reading many blogs or watching many YouTube videos this month, although in the last few days I have been binging a load of Daniel J. Layton's videos. 

Favourite post?


Me at 17 was so much fun to write and I know will be fun to look back on in the future. I’ve had such a good reception to it as well. Lots of people I know in real life have come up to me and said how much they loved it. Nothing much can beat that. I also really like Rainy Days. It’s a post I’m really proud of and had lots of fun writing.

Biggest inspiration?


The poets I been reading and listening to. My friends and their creativity. I don’t know why but I’ve been feeling really inspired lately and feel like I’m writing more than ever. I can’t quite pin where it’s all coming from but I don’t want it to stop.

Any other favourites?


Victoria finished at the beginning of this month and I can’t wait til the next series comes out. Despite its historical inaccuracies I love it so much! I’ve also been loving the set of Sleek matt liquid lipsticks that my friend Katie got me for my birthday, particularly Birthday Suit, which I’ve been wearing so much lately! My dad and I have been watching Hooten & The Lady, which is so silly but has some great stories and characters - love it!



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5 Reasons Why I Love Autumn

Friday, 28 October 2016

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We’ve been in Autumn for a while now, but it’s only just starting to feel like my favourite season as September has been unusually hot!

1. Woolly jumpers


I love baggy oversized jumpers so much. I have loads and no one cares if I wear them loads and look like a slob because everyone else does too. I have a particular favourite: a grey knitted jumper, the same as the one I used to nick from my dad. It’s so snuggly and warm- I love it.

2.  Hot Chocolates and Spicy Teas


I’m such a tea fanatic, it’s ridiculous. I love loads of different types of tea and varying my tastes throughout the year: green and more flavoured teas for spring and summer and spicy teas and rooibos for autumn and winter, with my constant companions of Earl Grey and good ol’ breakfast coming with me throughout the year. Now is also the time for hot chocolates! I’m really lucky in the fact that the cafes in my college have great hot chocolate, so I don’t mind paying for one when I get in in the morning.

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3. Boots and Fluffy Socks
 

I’ve been wearing the same pair of boots almost every day since about the middle of September and I am still so in love with them. They make me feel great and I can get away with wearing fluffy socks into college with them so you know that’ll be happening!

4. Fallen Leaves


I know it’s so clichéd but I love jumping in a pile of fallen leaves or hearing the crunch of crisp and yellowed leaves under my feet on every pavement I walk. It’s just so satisfying!

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5. Halloween Names on Twitter


They just make me really happy okay… It took me a while to think  of one, but I've got with (Jem) I'm-a zombie. It took me so long and eventually one of my friends came up with that. I love it though!



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Tampon Tax.

Wednesday, 26 October 2016

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You may be aware of this already but I’ll reiterate for those of you at the back: half of the population bleed out of their vaginas every month. It’s all part of our menstrual cycle; the bleeding part is called menstruation – more commonly known as a period or, if you want to give it a pet name, Aunt Flo, Penny, Blob, whatever you want to call it. I know two of my friends use Barack Obama as a code name for theirs. The point is, that no matter its name, every person with a uterus will bleed monthly – the frequency of menstruation does depend on the length of your personal cycle, though, so don’t panic if it’s not entirely regular.
In order to stop our blood from getting everywhere, we must use some form of ‘feminine hygiene’ product to catch it. Now that could be a tampon, sanitary towel (pad) or menstrual cup. I personally prefer wearing pads but wear tampons as well, especially if a pad will not do the job properly! (So on occasions were I’m swimming or sunbathing etc.) I’ve never used a menstrual cup before, but, in all honesty, they kind of scare me a bit. Maybe intimidate is a better word to use. Plus, anyone who knows me is aware of how clumsy I am so we can all imagine what a disaster it would be.

Feminine hygiene products are necessary items to everyone who has a period. Free-bleeding isn’t a good thing. Yes, it can make everything a bit messy, but can also lead to the spread of disease and is generally very unhygienic. Plus it’s a pain having to get blood out of clothes whenever you leak.

Despite being necessary, feminine hygiene products are still classed as ‘luxury’ items by the government, which means that we have to pay tax on items that are essential to our lives. Bearing in mind here, that things that are considered ‘essential’ are kangaroo and crocodile meats, edible sugar flowers, men’s razors and alcoholic jellies. Those are what is considered to be ‘essential’ to everyday life. So let me ask you: when was the last time you ate crocodile meat? It’s not necessary for men to shave, but it’s necessary for people with periods to catch their blood a sanitary product. If anything, they should be free – however, I’m aware that that isn’t very practical.

Why is it fair that we have to pay extra for something that is essential to us?

There was a petition that reached over 320,000 signatures last year I think it was (or maybe the beginning of this year as well) but nothing has changed yet. To sign a change.org petition that applies to your area click here, and to sign the newer (active) UK government petition click here!


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London Town | A Poem

Monday, 24 October 2016

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We walk down the street
dragging our cases through
this impossible heat,
we stop at the traffic lights
and then you
say: “Although some might
call London grim
and dirty and smelly,
to me it’s a place I feel at home in,
that means so much to many.
So, we’re crushed on the tube
like sardines,
and yes most people are rude,
but that doesn’t mean
you won’t meet
someone worth fighting for
on those dank and dusty streets.”
I take a tour
of the ghostly buildings
glistening in the night,
see the silly little things
the good deeds that make the world alright.
“Yeah, you’ll get jostled
here and there
but I love the hustle and bustle
the atmosphere in the air
we breathe
that somehow stops me
from being able to leave
the city,
where we are free,
it would be such a pity
if we were not to be
trapped in our own personal paradise,
awaiting the fates toss
of the dice
that leaves us in utter chaos.
The darkness in our light.



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Rainy Days

Wednesday, 19 October 2016

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If there’s one thing I innately love, I think it would be the rain. The half-hearted drizzle, as much as it appears pathetic, even to me, I find it reassuring in a subtle way. The wind behind it pushes me forwards, hurrying my day so that I meet the next significant person in my life – someone who would have passed me by otherwise. An unsteady smile exchanged as a peace treaty after our umbrellas battle and shake their tears into our eyes.

Original Picture Credit

Lazy but steady rain is often despised by others. It gently tramples our conservatory windows, roofs and skylights in some sort of aggressive ballet. The dancers don’t stop for hours and stay on their toes all night until finally, they tire out, and only the strongest ballerinas continue to perform. It takes a few hours more before they discard their shoes at last and the noise stops.

My favourite type of rain, though – the one that trumps them all – is the type of rain that blinds. At least, surrounds you with a showery wall so you can only see 2or 3 feet in front of you. I love the rain that drenches me through, sticks my hair to my ever-glowing face and leaves me beaming as brightly as I ever could. That’s my favourite rain:

The dancing-in-the-street rain. The splash-in-puddles-like-you’re-Gene Kelly rain. The snuggle-up-by-the-fire-with-a-cup-of-tea-and-chick-flick rain. The cat-clawing-at-the-door rain. The deafening rows of the gods up above as they pound the Earth in their overwhelming rage.

If there’s one thing I innately love it's the rain. The grey days with the windows open, listening to the patter-patter-pat outside.



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6 Essential Chick Flicks

Monday, 17 October 2016

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I love a good chick flick and I know plenty of other people who do too. Chick flicks are my favourite type of film (most of the time) as they simply lift my mood a lot. They make me laugh, they make me cry, they inspire me, they warm my little hopeless romantic heart.

1. Mean Girls


Mean Girls has become a modern classic. Almost everyone knows at least once quote from it (to read my Mean Girls Day post click here!) and I feel like most people have seen it. Okay, apart from one of my friends but some of my other friends and I are going to make him watch it in half term I think.

2. Legally Blonde


When I was about 12/13 my obsession with Legally Blonde and complete and utter adoration of Elle Woods began. I’m such a hardcore fan of both the first and second film, I may actually have to dedicate a whole post to it at some point. I love how it goes against the stereotypes of blonde girls and I’m not going to lie, Elle Woods is my feminist icon.

3. 500 Days of Summer


I only watched this sometime last year I think. WHY DIDN’T I WATCH IT SOONER?! It subverts the romcom genre so well and I love the way the plot flashes through time. You’ll understand what I mean if you’ve seen the film. I love the development arcs for both of the main characters too – they both grow so much throughout the whole thing.

4. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days


This is one of my absolute favourite chick flicks! It’s so cheesy in parts but I don’t care. That’s how chick flicks are meant to be, right? I love the characters, they make me laugh. This is kind of my comfort film. Or one of them, at least.

5. Austenland


I’m pretty sure I discovered this film in year 7 or 8 when my Jane Austen obsession was Just in its little baby-bird phase and I hadn’t yet read about one of my favourites: Mr Knightley. The story is silly and lighthearted and it shames me that I didn’t get a lot of the Austen references the first time I saw the film. A must-see for any Austen fan!

6. Love, Rosie


I read the book version of this (by Cecelia Ahern) ages ago. I loved it and read it within a few days I think, despite its length. Then, whilst at a sleepover with my friend Katie (katieswaytohappy.blogspot.co.uk), we decided to watch the film as she’d seen it before and I couldn’t wait to see the adaption of the book I loved. I was certainly not disappointed. It was so true to the book in so many aspects (apart from some timings). I laughed, I cried, and everything in between.

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Bedtime | A Poem

Wednesday, 12 October 2016

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My cat often lies
Snuggled into my chest
As I curl up and
Drift asleep.
Her flimsy feather-light
Short hairs bend as they
Come into contact with my
Baby-pink covers
Her purrs echo around the square room
Passing through me
And setting the tiredness into my soul
Her warmth and chirrups of affection
Send me to sleep with an almost
unnoticeable smile
My heart beating
Centimetres away from hers
Nearly in tune –
But not quite the same



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Me at 17

Monday, 10 October 2016

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I’m currently in my fifth week of studying for my A-levels: History, English, Classical Civilisation and Government and Politics.

My favourite book is Pride and Prejudice by the wonderful Jane Austen, my favourite writer. So far, the only Austen novels I haven’t read are Mansfield Park and Northanger Abbey, even though I’ve already listened to an abridged audiobook of the latter. Obviously, Mr Darcy is my fave of course, though I still love Mr Knightley and the others.

TV wise, the shows I watch most are FRIENDS and Glee. The Great British Bake Off is currently running its last series at the BBC and in all honesty I can’t see it carrying on much longer after Channel 4 takes it up, considering it has lost the majority of its core team. Strictly has only restarted its 14th series 3 weeks ago – my addiction for the year restarting with it! Agent Carter is also a favourite of mine, although it was cancelled earlier this year after the release of its 2nd series. I don’t think I will ever forgive them!

My bedroom is a square room, with a long window which looks out onto the neighbours and the woods behind them. Stacked on the thick window ledge that lines the window is my DVD collection; a selection of charity-shop-bought romcoms and dramas. On one wall opposite is the desk on which I do all my homework and often use to write: my novel, blog posts, notes and plans – poems I tend to scribble in notebooks while I’m in bed. The nighttime is the best time for poetry. On the wall adjacent to my desk stands my wardrobe and my bookcase, which holds over 300 books after my last count. The wall next to my bookcase is covered in posters, postcards and pictures I’ve printed out from online and of my own taking. I feel like it’s kind of me chucked up onto the off-white paint.

My dirty washing basket is made up of battered white wickerwork that frays at the top and is lined with a dying old floral bag that clings to the basket despite its severed side. I don’t know why that was important to say, but somehow I felt it was.

I’m a bit of a skirt addict. I just love them. I have loads, from short and skimpy to long and flowing, I think they’re gorgeous and where one most days.

Social media wise, I’m kind of addicted to Pinterest and Twitter. I have so many boards on Pinterest but don’t care – it’s a great way to find new ways to be creative, find new creative people and be inspired!

I live with my parents, my brother and my cat in South England. I do Pilates on a Wednesday evening with my mum and often go to parkrun on a Saturday morning with my dad.

I love Victoria sponge cake, pickled onion Monster Munch and Honey Cheerios and will choose profiteroles over any other dessert 93% of the time.

I’m obsessed with ABBA and have their music playing most of the time. I find ABBA More Gold is actually a great album to work to, I don’t know why but the songs actually help me focus as well as singing along when I’m not working. I am now officially a Dancing Queen as well as I am now OnLYYY SEVenTEEEEEEEEENNN!!!! I also am in love with the album Rumours by Fleetwood Mac and keep telling myself that I need to listen to more of their music as Rumours sped straight to my all-time favourites list after a sunny afternoon spent listening to it in a paddling pool. Also, McFly. MCFLY.

Here’s how I do my hair and makeup:


(I got my hair cut two days ago and I LOVE it! It was a lot longer before this and I much prefer it now, although you can bet I'll be pining for long hair again in a matter of weeks.)


(There are loads of variations of these - particularly with eyeshadow and lipstick!)

These are the products I use:


Here’s my current lipstick collection:


I wear a silver locket most days, which is too small to hold anything decent. I did consider filling it with sand from a beach in Wales once, but then realized that all of it would fall out as soon as I opened the locket (I have an annoying habit of opening and closing it incessantly) which would only result in me getting a load of irritating grains of sand down my bra. If I’m not wearing my locket, I’m probably wearing the red beads that belonged to my great-nan. They’re of no actual value but are priceless sentimentally and I love how cute they are! Last Thursday I bought this fancy black choker which I've been loving so much in the four days I've had it!

Speaking of annoying habits: I plait and fiddle with my hair absent-mindedly, which probably isn’t the best for its health. I also tend to fiddle with my toes when I’m lying down, pick at my fingernails often and don’t play my violin as much as I should.

I hardly ever paint my fingernails – it takes up so much time and it always ends up in tatters as I can never be bothered to remove it properly. I still have my earlobes pierced, however, I always forget to actually wear earrings. I need to start doing that more often as I have so many pairs!

On my toast, I usually have Marmite, while I pile Nutella on my crumpets. I take my tea reasonably strong: milk, no sugar. I enjoy fruity ciders and Apple and Raspberry J20, if not, a glass of cold water will normally suffice.

On YouTube, I watch all the Fletchers, as well as Dodie Clark and Hannah Witton (those are my favourites I’d say). I look out for all of Hazel Hayes’ Time of the Month series and am subscribed to lots of smaller YouTubers that I LOVE. Just watching bigger names can get a bit boring sometimes.

This is me. At 17.



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