Wrapping it all up

After a brief two month hiatus for which I can only apologise for I am back for the New Year.

I found that towards the end of last year I really wasn't in the mood for blogging and I was suffering from writers block. I didn't just want to blog for the sake of blogging, so decided to give myself a little bit of a rest.

What better way to start the New Year than by wrapping 2015 up, and what a year I had!

At the start of the year I was good to my resolutions and managed to lose 17lbs in six months, although I may have just put it all back on with the amount of cheese that I have been consuming over the last two weeks. As always I make resolutions and fail to keep most of them so this year I'm not making any at all! 



After a few months of uncertainty I was made permanent in a job which I absolutely adore. Most recently I have just become a Manager as well which is something that I had hoped to achieve before I became thirty and a goal which I am thrilled to have reached. To be able to not mind going into work on a Monday morning, to have a brilliant working and personal relationship with my boss and to have friends who support me and are a joy to see five days a week is something that people dream of.



With the summer came Glastonbury and the engagement! Exactly five years after we had met Leigh proposed to me at the top of Glastonbury and of course I screamed 'Yes!' Swift wedding planning began and we fixed a date for October 2016.



I also completed my final Open Uni course in the summer which meant that finally after five years of study I walked across the stage at the Barbican Centre and picked up my 2.1 English Literature degree and I felt so proud of myself.
 


Things have been going so well that I almost fear that they won't continue into 2016! But with going to LA for my best friend's wedding in March (and finally getting to go to Disney!) to my own wedding in October with a honeymoon in Bali I think that 2016 is going to be a cracker as well.



I wish you all a very pleasant year and I hope it brings you everything you desire. Here's to 2016!

C x

Glastonbury 2015

I may have dropped the ball slightly on this post - a month after the event is very bad even for me, who can be a lazy blogger at the best of times. But I am on holiday so I really have no excuse!

As most of you will know I am a huge Glastonbury lover, and after two years away it felt like a lifetime. This year, for me, had a brilliant line-up, I went with some very good friends and really I was just ready to immerse myself in the whole experience again.

Of course it didn't disappoint because how could it. Even the hour queue to get in (a first for me!), and the sweaty walk with what felt like my body weight resting on my back couldn't dampen any spirits. Even getting absolutely and completely drenched on Friday whilst dancing to Mary J. Blige didn't bring me down that much, although later realising that I could wring water out of my bra wasn't fantastic.

Bands I loved played, and a certain artist I had always wanted to see headlined. Once again I made it through Glastonbury without going to the Rabbit Hole but I was having so much fun doing other things that it didn't really matter. I sort of wish for a year with a crap line-up though just so I can go and do all the fun things that there are. This was my fifth year at Glastonbury and still I haven't seen everything there is on offer. Sometimes you just end up walking in to completely random things without realising, like the Dalai Lama giving a speech on love or a band at West Holts who had just stepped in to cover and were brilliant with the crowd.

My highlights this year were getting the a section of the crowd around us to start singing Golddigger before it came on at Kanye West started by my friend and I, the crowd cheering at Years & Years because gay marriage is now legal across the whole of the US, raving out to Chemical Brothers covered in glow-sticks, the heavy bass vibrating my voice at Jamie XX, getting dirty feet and not really giving a damn, 100,000 people chanting 'Lionel, Lionel, Lionel!' and of course getting engaged.

It is always so hard to leave that place, it becomes home for five days and there isn't anything better than waking up in the morning, crawling out of your tent and seeing the Pyramid stage, along with thousands of other tents, every single one of them having such a different Glastonbury experience. I say this every single time I go but if you haven't been at least try it once. Try it and maybe you will see what I mean when I say that Glastonbury is the greatest place on earth.

C x

May Favourites

It has been a very long time since I did a favourites post. There just hasn't been enough for it to be substantial but now I have been saving a few things up so we have a bumper month!

Books

I started to read Wild by Cheryl Strayed long after the film had been out (I have in fact just bought it to watch after loving this book!) so it wasn't a choice based on a need to read it before seeing the film. It kept cropping up on my Amazon list so I thought I would give it a go and I am so glad I did. This has to be one of my favourite books of the year so far, I love the travel aspect of it and the way it is written. I devoured this one and I think it should go straight to the top of your read pile.

The next favourite up is a little bit of a guilty pleasure as most YA books are! The Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth was my constant companion for a few weeks as I worked my way through the three books at a substantial rate whilst still trying to slow down so they didn't end. In the same instance with Wild I just missed the boat on the second film and now have to wait for it to appear on DVD which is annoying as I just want to see what they have done with the adaptation. I really enjoyed these as I love a good dystopian novel and the twist in Book Three completely threw me which is rare as most story lines are pretty obvious now. Worth a read.

Music

Some summer tracks are starting to creep into my 800 song strong Spotify playlist which is a good thing as it seems like summer jut cant make it's mind up and arrive, so I like to pretend it's here!

Holding On ~ Disclosure ft Gregory Porter

Regret ~ Everything Everything

It Is You ~ Natalie Prass

Rumors ~ Pep & Rash

Raindrops ~ SNBRN ft Kerli

Home

I picked up a couple of really cute home bits this month from Wilko (apparently my favourite place on earth!) and as always the supermarkets have got some gorgeous home bits in.

I have been eyeing up this dish for so long I thought it might have been discontinued but luckily for me it was still there when I last went into Sainsburys so I grabbed it before it was gone! It reminds me of Portugal so much, another reason I love it! I am also eyeing up a jug in the same print....

Fish Platter - Sainsburys - £10

And because all I need in my life is another chopping board I picked this one up....

Chopping Board - Wilkinsons - £4

I couldn't resist this little egg house. I literally put my basket down with it in to walk out of the shop but I just couldn't do it. I have a problem....

Egg House - Wilkinsons - £5 

We have a George Living right by us which is a tad dangerous. I popped in the other day for a quick browse and found this little guy and at only £3 I couldn't really say no to him!

Milk Bottle - George Home - £3

Fashion

Something fantastic and terrible happened last week. I went to go and put one of my favourite skirts on to find that it doesn't fit anymore! Apparently losing weight means you drop a dress size, who knew! I then proceeded to lie on the floor in a pile of other clothes that do not fit and have a melt down because I have nothing to wear. Of course the only sensible thing to do was to buy some more clothes.....

I am loving this off the shoulder dress with its Moroccan style print and the fact that it is a size down and still a bit roomy helps too!

Tile Print Bardot Dress - George at Asda - £22

I have bought a few other bits but I want to share those with you in a different post so keep an eye out for my Glastonbury 'O.O.T.F' (Outfit Of The Festival) post which will be coming soon, just in case you are also going and need some inspiration!

Life

As you will have seen from a couple of my other posts things have been coming up roses at the moment and I could not be happier! Everything is going swimmingly and with Glastonbury only 23 days away it is only getting better!

C x

Getting That Degree

It has taken me a while to write this post because I have been too busy enjoying my freedom!

After five years I have finally handed in my final piece and will be graduating later this year which I am thrilled about!

It has been a long old slog to get here but it has been so worth it. I will now be the proud owner of a degree in English Literature, something that I always wanted to achieve. What is even better about it all is that I did it all for fun and have no plans to use it in anything, I just wanted it for me!

Open University have been so great and I would highly recommend looking at using them if you want to get a degree part time. I have come out of it with no debt and with some government help I have actually only paid around £1000 for my degree over the course of five years which is such a good deal.

Yes it does take a long time and yes you do have to put the work in but if you want to keep working and study too it is ideal and has a workload that is manageable. It should have actually taken me six years, but I managed to get two done in one year so if you time it right you could get it done sooner too.

Now I just need to figure out what to do with all my spare time!

C x

Good News!

I took a little look back through my old blog the other day and it was packed full of little posts with me just chatting which I don't seem to do anymore. This is a little chatty post though as I have news to share!

After 14 months of working in a temporary position at my job they have finally offered me a permanent place here! Which is all I ever wanted really! To have found a job where I don't mind coming in every day, I don't mind the hour 20 commute and I get on with my boss is just incredible and I wanted to hang on to that with both hands.

Now I finally feel like I can relax and not worry every few months if they will be able to keep me on. I have made some really great relationships here as well and to not have seen these people every day just would have been awful.

I will now be an Operations Assistant, helping to look after the day to day running of the school and all the behind the scenes bits that keep it running. This will enable me to learn about Estates, HR, Lettings, Catering, Health & Safety and will add a huge string to my bow.

Things are looking very sunshiney for me indeed!

C x

March Favourites

Can you believe that it is the end of March already? The spring sunshine is trying desperately to make an appearance and now that the clocks have gone back it feels that we are well on our way. Here's a list of my favourites this month!

Music

A couple of songs for you this month - I've realised that Youtube videos are not working from mobile versions of this blog so instead click the artist to link through to the video.  I have just discovered Honne after being told by a friend I should take a listen and Years & Years are just filling my ears with happy sounds.

Honne - Warm on a Cold Night

Years & Years - Real (Original Mix)

Fashion

Can you believe that I haven't really been shopping at all! As I've been losing weight recently I realised that there really wasn't too much point in buying new clothes when the goal is to drop a dress size or two. I did however pick up this maxi dress in the hope that Summer is just round the corner! I love a good maxi dress and I like that this one has a little sleeve even more.

Dorothy Perkins - £16

Home

It is my birthday in a week and my wonderful parents allowed me to open a present early when I popped down to visit them last weekend. They had got me this perfect Stand Mixer which goes beautifully in the kitchen and with its 'Walls Ice-cream' theme is so very retro.

Another early birthday present! This beautiful GIANT mixing bowl. It is just the kind of thing that I love and looks brilliant on display although I am definitely running out of counter space....

Food

Bit of a random one but I just have to put it in here! Leigh bought me a Caramel collection Easter egg this year because, you know, Cara-mel..... Anyway in this Easter egg there happened to contain the single most delicious chocolate bar I have ever tasted. Why on earth have I never tried this before?! Its all over for me. I don't like chocolate but I think I finally get why everyone else likes it if they feel the way about normal chocolate as I do about this:

 Life

This month I have been doing what I should always have been whilst living in London. Being a little bit cultural!

I went to see Die Zauberflote at the Royal Opera House, and attended a showing of Swan Lake the following week via the Live Cinema Screenings that the Royal Opera House organise. It was actually a refreshing way to view the Ballet, for one who cannot afford the stall seats this was such a good way to really see the show. This weekend I went to see 'My Night with Reg' which was fantastic and I laughed the whole way through. I also took my seat in a Choir performance of Handel's Messiah that my friend lent her voice too. It is things like this that I will look back on and think 'At least I made the most of living in this city!'

 Die Zauberflote

Swan Lake

 My Night with Reg

Choir performance

Yet again quite a small favourites post this month but I suppose it makes a difference as I didn't post one for January or February!

C x

A Small Hiatus

Without really meaning to I appear to have taken a little break from blogging. My brain is struggling to work as of late and I am finding that it is dried up and pulls zero inspiration from anything productive or even fun.

Even now I am not really writing this with any idea in mind other than the fact that I feel I have been neglectful which just won't do. I am also currently toying with the idea of just producing a baking/cooking blog as most of my posts now-a-day's seem to be about food. However I am loathe to drop the hauls, favourites and other chatty bits as I enjoy writing them.

So in Cara's life recently, the following has happened:

• I've lost over a stone after some serious calorie counting and a different attitude to the whole thing. I've still got some to go but...progress. This also means I have dropped a dress size which means more shopping
• I have been asked to stay on at my job for another few months, which is very good news because I don't actually mind going in every day even if it is a bitch of a commute
• We have re-signed to our house for another year which means no moving/packing and this will be our third year in the house which is a record for me as before I seemed to move every 2 seconds
• I am only TWO, yes two, essays away from completing my English Literature degree after a six year hard slog
• My brother and girlfriend got engaged which is the loveliest news in the world and means I will soon have a sister-in-law 
• I am getting more excited than ever about Glastonbury in less than 100 days, and will be praying for sunshine as we get closer

I'd say that in the grand scheme of things, it's all looking pretty great right now, especially with spring just around the corner bringing my birthday along with it. I'm coming to terms with the fact I will be 27 slowly, but with a good feeling.

I will try harder to bring more blog posts to the table. I think I had a small slump as I wondered in fact if anyone at all was reading but I was cheered by a chance meeting with someone I had only meet once before on a night out. She greeted me by shouting 'Pourable Sunshine!' which made me feel very sunshiney indeed.

If you haven't already do go and have a look at Pourable Sunshine's Cookery channel. We put some time into the video's and would love to know if there is anything you would like to see being baked.

And that's all really - I now have a guilt-free conscience and you have a little something to read on a Wednesday afternoon. It's a Win-Win really.

C x

42 things that go through my head when working out

1. Right let's do this...
2. Where's my sports bra?
3. I can't find my sports bra, Oh well no exercise today then
4. Damn it, there it is hanging off the radiator
5. Bloody hell this thing is tight
6. Let's just do a couple of bounce tests
7. Yep, still working to hold them in
8. I'm really tired from that jumping.
9. Maybe I should just leave it for today
10. No. Come on you can do this
11. DVD on
12. Wait, where are my weights
13. Right....2 jars of sauce it is
14. Ok let's go
15. I feel good. I can do this
16. Squats. I hate squats
17. I'm tired...how long have I been doing this....
18. 2 minutes. Great
19. Why are they so smiley?
20. I'm not smiling and I'm doing exactly what they do
21. Oh good - active rest
22. No! More rest! I don't want to keep going and this is definitely not fun
23. How has she still got a full face of makeup!?
24. Do they pause half way through to retouch her makeup?
25. Why am I sweating so much!
26. Move Cat! How am I meant to squat thrust if you are lying in the way
27. What do you mean I'm only just finishing Lap 1!
28. My legs hurt
29. I wish you would stop telling me to keep with it when clearly I am on Hard level not Beginners as promised
30. I look ridiculous with these sauce jars
31. This had better be burning off 500 calories
32. I think I might cry
33. Squeeze two more in?
34. I'm actually ok just lying on the floor for now
35. Last set!
36. I've got this
37. I haven't got this
38. How am I meant to stand in the shower after?
39. I might have a bath so I can lie down
40. I hate you TV work out people
41. Finished!!! I do not feel good like they promised
42. Now I've done some exercise can I have extra cheese for dinner?

C x

New Year

A very happy New Year to you all!

I hope you have a lovely year ahead filled with lots of happiness and success.

I've gone back to my old resolutions of the year and I am happy to tell you that out of the fifteen I set myself I managed to keep one! Perhaps best not to actually set any so I can't disappoint myself by failing to keep them.

Instead we will just say that I will try my best to have the greatest year possible whilst trying to fulfill some goals.

You may have noticed I've had a bit of a spring clean on the blog - New Year means a little bit of a spruce up. All the recipes are now also under their own tab making them easier to find. This is also to celebrate getting 10,000 views on the blog which is just brilliant and has made me so happy :) Thank you to all of you who read this, it means a great deal to me.

Its going to be a very good year indeed. 

C x

A Letter

Dear 16 year old self,

I thought ten years on I might be able to impart some of my 'wisdom'. So here is a letter to you.

Try not to care so much about what people think of you. Dont stress. This I say with the upmost sincerity. You will worry yourself into the ground. Stop crying over boys, they really aren't worth it. You need to realise that relationships end for a reason, and that reason is obvious. It was never going to work and they aren't good enough for you. I know it hurts but you will learn something from each one. It sounds oh so cliched but we like a cliche so seriously hold out for the good one.
Stop being so bloody mean to your parents. They love you and you should love them because they are quite frankly, awesome. So stop being a spoilt brat who thinks she is right all the time. You aren't and Mum is. Trust me on this one. I know the phone calls asking where you are can be annoying but honestly, in 10 years,  you will be calling her all the time just to catch up.
While we are at it stop being so angsty. It's really not worth our time and will achieve nothing. You need to be nice to the people that love you and stop pushing them away with bullshit and drama. You will still have people that you went to school with that are your very best friends even 10 years on so try hard not to piss them off or give them memories they can throw back at you in the future to embarrass you. On that note make sure you always make the effort to keep in touch with your friends but don't be upset if they don't make the effort back, the ones that matter will.
Please do try and do well in your GCSE's even though they won't really matter in 10 years. They will set you up with discipline and get you into college. Speaking of college, you will drop out 3 months before you take your A Levels but it was for a good life experience reason, besides we go on to spend 6 years getting a degree in English Literature, which is what we always wanted and we didn't need the A Levels anyway. But do keep writing. Write every day if you can, take the time to do so. Also don't worry about your shoddy maths. www.percentagecaculator.net is our friend.
I know you will have just got your first job washing dishes for £5 an hour. This is actually a very good rate for a 16 year old and you should really open up a bank account, (not with HSBC - they are crap), and start saving now. I know our dream is to have our own house, be married and have a child by the time we are 25 but I'm telling you now this hasn't happened. The reason we don't have a house is because we didn't save. The other things are down to your future boyfriend and out of my control.......
I'm not going to tell you to stop smoking because I quite enjoy it still but perhaps maybe consider if it is the best thing. I'm not going to tell you to drink less either because that's also up there on the list of things that are enjoyable but I will give you two tips. Drinking to excess to get over a break up is not a good idea and avoid milkshakes on a hangover. They don't mix well with us.
Please try and fight our intolerance to exercise and our love of melted cheese and fried chicken. You will still be unhappy with your body 10 years on but if you could just maybe look after it a bit better that would be great. On that note, stop wearing short skirts and getting your boobs out. Listen to your mother. We suit mid length skirts that show of our calves and you are asking for the wrong kind of attention with those low cut tops.
In a few years time you will get a call from your best friend asking you to move to Cardiff. Do this without a second of hesitation. They will be some of the best years of your life, and you will meet a group of people who mean the world to you and who love you for being you, even if you did take the Harry Potter Sorting Hat test and you are a Slytherin. Yeah. I know.
You need to have fun now and stop worrying about the future, and who likes you, and who thinks you are funny. Honestly the future will sort itself. Just stop stressing about the little things that really wont matter 10 years down the line because I can tell you, currently, life is pretty bloody great.  

C x

Lack of Inspiration

I have been a little bit quiet on the blog front this month. No special reason, I've just been a little stumped when it comes to blog post ideas.

Once again I wish I could tell you about all the fun and interesting things I have been doing but really it is just a case of me working late, drinking on the days I'm not working late and sitting in bed eating fried chicken at 3am.

I walked through London earlier today, and when I say London I mean the center of it all. The hell that is Oxford Street. It wasn't actually that bad at 8.30am, there was still some ducking and weaving, but there were no shops open at that hour so there was less agro than normal. Anyway, I was walking through Oxford Circus heading toward Piccadilly with a Starbucks in one hand and my mobile and cigarette in the other and I thought, 'Oh get me, people might think I'm a proper Londoner',until I ruined it all because I'd forgotten to plug my headphones in and the incredibly helpful Google maps lady told me to 'turn right at Regent's street' and I lost all credibility because only a non Londoner would need Google maps to get them from Oxford Street to Piccadilly Circus. Unless you just happen to be utterly crap at directions like me. The illusion I'd created was shattered by this point though and I thought to myself 'well it can't get worse, I might as well be a legit tourists and take some photos'. I tried to resist the urge to tell my fellow commuters I do in fact live here and they shouldn't judge me.

I've also been watching The Riot Club trailer on repeat because those boys are just too good to look at and well... why not? Other things I like to do in my spare time include:

• Eating burger cheese slices
• Getting lost in Buzzfeed
• Questioning why as of late I keep going out drinking without eating first resulting in a whole load of toilet bowl hugging
• Watching my cat stalk flies
• Doing anything but blogging really

Things I should be doing in my spare time:

• Going to the gym or in fact doing any form of exercise that doesn't just consist of getting up to turn the TV on
• Churning out blog posts at an alarming speed so you can all share my joy in life
• Going to the bank to sort my finances 
• Being proactive in enjoying London and all it has to offer

I'm hoping that this is just a brief lapse in creativity but I need to find it soon because my course has started again and it requires me to write stories. If they need me to write a story about procrastination I'm the girl for the job. Or I might just have a sleep. 

C x

Thanks for the Office, but no thanks

I must be the only person in the whole world who isn't happy about the fact that I now have my own office.

I mean don't get me wrong - it's the dream right? When you finally move into your own office it means you must be important enough to have one. You have all the space to put your own stamp on it and you can get on with your work without office chatter or any distractions.

Which would all be fine apart from the fact that I go crazy if I don't talk to someone at least once an hour. It actually freaks me out. Perhaps I just really like the sound of my own voice but something is wrong with me because I hate being on my own so much that I will call Leigh sometimes, not to say anything, but just so I can assure myself that the world hasn't turned into zombies and I'm the only one still alive.

I think I might have a mild case of Monophobia. Add that to my Ornithophobia (phobia of birds) and I am a bit of a mess in general.

I just love to be around people. This is why I could never go travelling on my own, because the times I'd have to be on my own would be horrific! What on earth would I do? I'd probably start talking to myself and that would be both boring and slightly crazy.

Put me in any social situation and I will thrive, I'm not shy, I will talk to anyone. Leave me in a room on my own for over an hour and I will start to panic. Even now I haven't spoken or seen anyone in about an hour and a half and I'm trying to type this post quickly so I can go and find someone to talk to.    

So whilst it's all fun and games being able to play my music and eat fish without smelling out the shared office, I wish there was someone I could share that with. Not to mention that working at a school in the Summer Holidays is already so quiet and I'm at one end of the school when everyone else is at the other makes me feel quite nervous. Also I swear this school is haunted. Maybe the ghosts can keep me company!

So thanks for my own space, but give me an open plan office any day!

Is it just me that suffers from this? Or is this a common thing?!

Excuse me whilst I go and find someone to talk at.

C xxx

100th Post

So as the title says this is my 100th post on Pourable Sunshine!

I just wanted to say thank you to all of you who read the posts that I put up, there is nothing better than hearing that you are enjoying what I talk about and it is lovely to know that I am sharing it with all of you.

As I said recently it is easy to try to maintain a perfect facade but I am trying to bring you more of the every day and try to talk to you all like I do to my best friends, rather than portraying the unreal and unattainable.

Please do let me know in the comments below if  there is anything you want me to try and talk about, or a regular feature you want to see. Your feedback means a lot to me!

Once again, thank you for being so lovely :)

C xxx

Thoughtful Thursday

Reading ~ The Light Years by Elizabeth Jane Howard

Loving ~ Leigh for being there for me

Wearing ~ my Hawaiian print trousers and a strappy top

Anticipating ~ pay day

Eating ~ a prawn salad

Drinking ~ Guanabana juice

Wishing for ~ the end of the week

Craving ~ CHEESE

Listening to ~ All Night by Parov Stelar

Wondering ~ why I have to be so allergic to mosquito bites

Watching ~ looking forward to watching my first ever episode of British Bake Off tonight

Learning ~ that every so often it's ok to have a bad week

Searching ~ the housing sites for a home that doesn't look completely horrible

Planning ~ the best way to save some money for the future

Trying ~ to lose some weight again

C xxx

Thoughtful Thursday

Reading ~ The Wrong Knickers by Bryony Gordon

Loving ~ that the sun is shining and it's Sports Day at work today

Wearing ~ a red maxi dress and black lace kimono

Anticipating ~ going to Bath this weekend to meet my new baby niece

Eating ~ a polo

Drinking ~ water

Wishing for ~ sleep

Craving ~ a home cooked meal

Listening to ~ Holdin On - Flume

Wondering ~ if I should start writing short stories again

Watching ~ the nursery children practising for Sports Day

Learning ~ that children are fickle

Searching ~ for things I cant afford

Planning ~ what to pack for holiday

Trying ~ not to count down the days until holiday so it comes quicker!

C xxx

A day in the life of....

So I've had a few people saying that they really liked my more honest approach to my life in my 'The Perfect World' post. It's always nice to get some positive feedback, especially when I ummmed and aaahed over whether to 'shatter the illusion' by posting it online for all to see.

I thought I might try and write a few more on how my life actually is rather than how I wish my life could be.

A prime example of this and one that shows just how lazy I actually am - a make-up artist friend of mine has invited me to an event on Tuesday to hang out with models. My first thought...'But I'll miss Big Brother!' wasn't exactly what my first reaction should have been (and yes it's still on and yes I really do enjoy watching it). I've basically turned into this boring woman in her twenties when instead of going out and whooping it up around town I would rather slob on the sofa. Every year I make a resolution that I am going to do more in London but I'm not sure why I bother. I make the same resolution about learning to drive and losing 2 stone but it's never going to happen, especially when I plan on winning the lottery so I can hire a driver and I'm never going to lose weight when there is fried chicken in the world.

This week I have actually been busy - I went to my friends house for drinks and a microwave meal on Monday, I worked an event on Tuesday, Wednesday is pub quiz night, Thursday I'm going to Wimbledon and Friday I am travelling to Bath. I am knackered though and all I want is to sit at home and watch reruns of Friends. I'm honestly so tired that I keep going to the toilet, resting my head against the wall and having 5 minute power naps. The tiredness might also have something to do with the fact that I drank 5 large glasses of wine at this event last night and got home late. I also threw up a little bit in my mouth on the way home, which meant I had that horrible burning sensasion in my throat for the whole hour and 20 minute journey home. To treat myself this morning after the horrible ordeal I bought a can of full fat Coke but upon opening said coca cola I realised it was in fact Vanilla. Vanilla! Why do they even make this crap.

So now I''m trying to keep my eyes open at my desk, whilst drinking a drink that's worse than Pepsi (and that's saying something) and contemplating how I can make it through the rest of the week without a)seriously damaging my liver b)ending up with massive bags under my eyes and c)not eating any of my 5 a day and living on microwave mac and cheese meals because they are convinenent. Fuck it - I might just go all out and get a kebab wrap on the way home instead. At least there will be lettuce and cabbage in it....

Ladies and Gentlemen. What it's really like to be a girl in her twenties living in London.

C xxx

Thoughtful Thursday

Reading ~ Mortal Instruments: City of Bones - Cassandra Clare

Loving ~ that I have a day off tomorrow. Long Weekend!

Wearing ~ A midi pink skirt and black top

Anticipating ~ Playing Sims all day tomorrow

Eating ~ Golden Grahams

Drinking ~ Tea

Wishing for ~ 5pm so I can get home

Craving ~ Toast and honey

Listening to ~ Sing - Ed Sheeran

Wondering ~ what it would be like to be a lady of leisure

Watching ~ the clock tick

Learning ~ that nothing beats sitting down

Searching ~ for more holiday clothes

Planning ~ what to do with my long weekend

Trying ~ not to think about the fact I'm not at Glastonbury

C xxx

The Perfect World

Do you ever get that feeling that everyone’s is having a bigger, brighter, more fantastic life that you are?

As a blogger and an avid blog reader I have read about so many other people’s lives and it’s sometimes hard to remember that what they are showing you and the image that they are portraying is one of perfection of their own making. Now don’t get me wrong – some of the blogs that I read, I really do think that their life is like that. Especially the lucky ones that are able to blog full time and are endorsed and sponsored to travel to far off places and go to amazing social events but the majority (I like to think deep down) are just a normal people.

I sometimes wonder what the image of me is. I like to think that I come off as a cool fun adult who lives in London, who hangs out with her close group of friends and goes to fun events, whilst maintaining my full time job and gaining a degree, all the while cooking and balancing a mixing bowl on one hip and sipping a drink with the other hand. Or maybe people just think I’m really boring, pretentious and they wish I would stop posting my blog columns on facebook and clogging up their newsfeed.

The thing is, the reason that I really keep the blog, is because it is a way to keep a diary of everything. Having failed spectacularly at keeping a handwritten one past my 22^nd birthday I now find that this is the best way to remember everything that I have done. I’m not going to lie, this is the whole point to this post – I do sometimes sit there and count my followers and wish that I had thousands of followers who hung on to my every word but I know that at least 40 people read my columns when I post them and that makes me happy (One of my posts reached 100 views the other day which made me smile lots!).     

It’s just so easy to portray a lifestyle that you want people to see on the internet. The amount of times that I have posted about something, and told a little white lie just to make it sound like I know what I’m talking about, before my friends – the ones who were there with me – call me out on it. Sometimes I’m not even aware I’m doing it! Photographs are the other easy thing to fake. The right light, angle and background can make the double chin disappear and the face seem radiant.  It is the same with pictures around the house. Look at my perfect tidy house, it is always this way with no mess at all…

Oh no wait……
 

We live in a world and a culture where everyone is always trying to keep this façade of perfect up. I want to know how all these other bloggers find people to take pictures of them as they walk down the street. I know that my friends wouldn't follow me around with a camera, waiting while I posed!  I say this not because I plan on changing it but because I am trying to make my own self aware that this happens so when I see someone else blog about that holiday with the pictures of perfect bliss:

Or the beautifully lit food shots that make your mouth water, I just have to try and remember that they have probably spent an hour trying to get that one shot and they burnt the first batch:

What do you think? Would you prefer to see the messy side of things, rather than the perfect? Would you prefer to hear about the slightly rotund girl who is forgetful, a bit of a bitch, loves a gossip and can’t go a day without eating cheese (hence the rotund-ness). The girl who spends 20 minutes taking pictures of food before she will eat it, and won’t let her boyfriend eat either. The one who much prefers to sit on the sofa watching TV than actually exploring the amazing city she lives in and who tried to cram a year’s worth of revision into 4 days because instead of revising she was baking lemon cakes and getting pissed with her friends.     

I just needed to have a bit of a chat today actually, and this is the most diary like post I’ve done in a long time. Sometimes I just need to sit down and talk. Not that it’s changed anything though – I’m still a bloody jealous person who wishes I could be paid to write a blog and travel the world but I guess sometimes it’s much more preferable to sit at home with the boy and the cat and eat an entire melted camembert with a four pack of cider.

C xxx

Thoughtful Thursday

Reading ~ The Lie by Helen Dunmore

Loving ~ my freedom

Wearing ~ A green dress and kimono. It's cold today!

Anticipating ~ Seeing my parents for the first time in 4 months

Eating ~ Trifle

Drinking ~ Water

Wishing for ~ My holiday to hurry up and get here

Craving ~ Ginger Cider

Listening to ~ Lana del Rey - West Coast

Wondering ~ How many calories are in trifle

Watching ~ the grey clouds rolling in

Learning ~ that I should go to bed before midnight otherwise I'm shattered!

Searching ~ for some energy to get through the day

Planning ~ a trip to Thailand next April

Trying ~ to convince myself that exercise isn't that painful and that I should do it

C xxx

Thoughtful Thursday

Reading ~ The One by Keira Cass

Loving ~ The sunshine

Wearing ~ The skirt from my May Favourites and cami top

Anticipating ~ The weekend

Eating ~ A banana

Drinking ~ Apple juice

Wishing for ~ More money to buy holiday clothes

Craving ~ Peri-peri chicken

Listening to ~ New Eyes - Clean Bandit's new album

Wondering ~ How to change a bad habit

Watching ~ funny GoT gifs

Learning ~ that I have bad habits

Searching ~ for the best type of mosquito repelent

Planning ~ where to visit when we go on holiday

Trying ~ to think of an excuse to leave work early so I can enjoy the sunshine

C xxx