August Life Update: My Brother's Wedding

Hi readers,

Today I wanted to write a quick post about my brother's wedding. It happened on Thursday at a place called Peckforton Castle in Cheshire, UK. The castle was really lovely and dates to the 1800's, so it's all intact still, not like the castle we stopped at on the way there! There's not much left of Beeston castle, it looks like the ruins of a large tower on a tall hill now. The well was interesting though and you could see a lot from the top, though it was a very clouded day.

My room, photo below, at Peckforton was really nice. I was staying in the top floor of one of the towers. It faced out over the chapel and tower gates as can be seen in the photo above. I had a window box and a fire place, which I'm a lover of both, but I do wish I'd had my parent's bathtub as mine was just a normal bath/shower combo. I didn't sleep so good though, I don't like beds that are not my own and I think on the night of the wedding I was so over-tried that sleep was beyond me! Well....my parents and I had been up till 3am in the wine cellar reflecting on the day.  

I did so want to take a bath in this tub, but I didn't get the chance. In fact everything went so fast, I sort of feel like I missed it all and I so wish I'd taken more photos. Speaking of, I decided I'm not going to post up any photos of anyone but me. That's because it's personal family photos and I do feel the need to ask people if it's okay for them to be published here. Though even if they said it was okay, I'd still feel like this wasn't the place. So, I'm just going to share the photos I think are okay for here.

For the last few months/weeks leading up to the wedding, I'd become worried that I'd be super bored or wouldn't fit in. It had been weighing on my mind a lot, if my dresses were okay and what I'd look like in the photos. Well, beside from the photos - I'm so not good in any photos really- everything else was good. The day went by with lots of things to keep me busy - like chasing around after my brother to drag him in the photo booth and meeting relatives and friends I'd not seen in ages. 

My brother and his new wife had ordered a bird of prey display, an ice cream cart and an string quartet to keep everyone happy whilst they got all the photos out of the way. I loved all these things and I had a lot of ice cream and watched the birds flying about. I even got to hold one! He was an owl and his name was Mango, he also was the bird that delivered the wedding rings at the ceremony.  

This is an eagle hawk. He was a bit scared and didn't really want to fly around everyone. At one point he went off to investigate the ice cream cart and we didn't think he was going to come back! But then he did and everything was okay again.

I tried all the ice cream from this cart, but the vanilla one. It was really nice and since the weather was warm and sunny, it was very fitting. A few people hopped on the bike behind the cart and had their photos took, but I didn't. I have a nice one of the bride though. It was a hit with everyone I think. 

This was the room in the great hall were my brother got married. They then used it as the dance room for the party. The theme was purple and sliver, with a touch of Game of Thrones and Disney. I really liked it and it looked great. The DJ played some good music too - most of it seemed to come off the list I put together online as I reconsidered a lot of the songs! I really loved the table decorations too! They were floating candles with purple flowers underneath them in the water. They were present everywhere and this photo below with them by one of the great hall windows is really nice.  

  

Of course, no wedding would be complete without a cake! Their's was just so awesome. They had Game Of Thrones on the bottom with them seating on the throne at the top. The middle section was images of Totoro, which is the bride's favorite anime and like my second. I love it and it was so cute. The top was Disney couples. each layer was different, but we only got to eat the lemon one. The other two were red velvet and chocolate. I got a good picture of them 'mock' cutting the cake with a big sword.  

I think one of my favorite things was the chocolate fountain. There was lots of things you could get dipped into the chocolate, including mini doughnuts, fudge, fruits and gingerbread man! I think that's one of my new favorite things. I tried to find a photo of the chocolate fountain, because I didn't take one, but it seems that no one else so far has! I got this photo of me eating a gingerbread man, though I don't think it's a good photo, but I wanted to put up something. 

 Lastly, we went into the wine cellar. It was really nice and the perfect place to have a few more drinks before going to bed. My other brother's girlfriend and my next door neighbor ordered some tea and I was surprised that no one had thought to serve hot drinks down here. Like I said at the start, my parents and I were the last to leave. It was such a long day, but also really good. 

I still can't believe how fast it went though! I'm enjoying seeing all the photos everyone else took too. Hopefully, I'll get to see the one from the photo booth and the hired photographers. It's nice to be home, but I do miss the castle. Also, I have a sister now! That's going to take awhile to sink in. 

Next week will be a book review. See you then. 

Photos all my own.

Moving On

Hi readers,

Sorry I didn’t blog early this week! I’ve been busy with a few things and the days are just flying by. I now have only 3 weeks left in my uni house and then I’m moving out and back home! I can’t believe how fast this year has gone, nor the last 3 year. You just get so caught up in student life that for awhile it does feel like an endless streach of time. Like you could be a student for the rest of your life because time is moving far too slowly. Other times though, (like now!) you wonder where the time has gone too and maybe you lost a night partying or maybe redoing an essay? Or like now when uni is ending and it’s offically the last time.

I keep thinking back to all my memories I’ve of my time at uni. I’m still shocked I’ve made it this far really. I’m dysleix, but I’ve a degree in Creative Writing and English Lit now! I’ve not failed or had to redo anything and somehow it looks like I’ll get a 2.1 over all. It just goes to show though, if you love and want to do something so badly, you can over come all of those obsticals life decides to throw at you to get there in the end. Picking yourself up after a fall is often bad and I’ve had a few of them-espically this year- but I’ve pulled throw with the help of my amazing family and friends. There’s no way I’d be the person I’m today without those people! Plus the really good times equal out the bad ones and I’ve had a lot of good times- mostly nights out and trips to Liverpool. Random conversation in the LRC when we had work to do, but chatting was more important. My favourites though are all the times late at night and the small hours of the morning when I’d be up with my housemates just talking. I’m going to miss the 3/4 of us standing in the upstairs hallway outside our rooms just having a laugh. I’ll miss sitting down to watch movies with them and talking through most of it as well! Or singing along to some great songs and knowing that stuff just didn’t matter any more, because we were having a moment together. Yeah, I’m going to miss student life….not the essays though! Not going to miss them!

So, to catch up on what I’ve been up to then…..I’ve been out twice last week-first time random drinks with my housemate and the second time was the last time in the SU/The Venue and Alpine. That was lots of fun and I do have some pics, but since I put the ones of Chester Zoo my friends have rebelled against me. So, I’ll have to sneak them on soon! Also I’ve been reading this;



I’ve be come addicted and I’m gettting through Quinn’s story very fast. I was a little disappointed that it wasn’t more of Lestat’s story, but he’s still making his presence felt. I do love the way Rice writes-she makes this whole world come to life and the characters are so rememberable. I hope my novels will one day capture people the way Rice’s does. I’ve been busy working on mine. Second drafting it and thinking about the way I’m writing. Though I was sadden to hear last week that my tutor who helped me start this work on my novel had passed way. So, I put her name in my dedication, because I’m not going to forget all the help she give me.

I had other things I wanted to write about today, but it loooks I’l have to come back. My housemate is offically leaving and I want to spend a few minutes with him saying goodbye. I hate that stuff has to come to an end. It bugs me! But hopefully a new chapter will be starting soon

Chester Zoo

Hi readers,

Yesterday I spent the day at Chester Zoo with my friends as this cool photo above shows! They take your photo when you enter and you can buy it afterwards. That's what we ended up doing when we saw this pic! It's good as well because you can access them online and there's two other backgrounds one with elephants and the other with rhinos. I like this one though.

We had an amazing day out and took a lot of photos! Some of my pics turned out pretty good and we had a close experience with many of the animals. The weather held out too and it was sunny, though slightly cold in the wind, but all the animals were out. Enough of us went as well, so we were able to catch up on things that had been happening since we were last together. So the zoo was a back drop for us getting together really, but it was still interesting. I've not been to a zoo in awhile, last time must have been Blackpool zoo with college for my animal care course. I think also a small part of me is against zoos, because I like animals to be in the wild as that's where they belong. I know that they are not safe in some areas and the conservation works most zoos do around the world is important to
make sure these wonderful animals are still around for future generations to see for real.




My favourite animals had to be the fruit bats, red pandas, meerkats, the elephants (pic above) and some of the tropical birds, because they were cool. I was most excited about seeing the bats and it's a shame you couldn't take pics inside their house. I don't think they would have turned out anyway, because the bats move so fast and it is really dark. I liked just standing there and watching them flying around. They come really close to you as well and you can feel the air moving around you. I could have spent more time in the bat house, but some of my friends were getting a little scared, so we left. I didn't get any pics of the red pandas either because they were hiding high up in the trees when we walked by. They are really cute though! The meerkats were cute too, because they had babies and I took a lot of photos of them. I'll put them up at the end with some of the other good ones.

In the tropic house there was some cool birds, and we were kept amused by one of these bird which took a liking to one of my housemates! There's video evidence of this as well, but I don't think anyone is going to forget it any time soon. My housemate spend a lot of time whisling and talking to this bird and then he trainned it to follow him. So he would run from one side to the other and the bird would copy him and jump from one branch to the next! We had a right laugh over that and it was hard to tear ourselves away, but more animals were waiting. This is bird below- a White-Crested Turaco.




I also really liked the butterfly house because there was so many large and pretty butterflies fluttering about and it was hard not to stop and stare at all the bright patterns on the wings. It was interesting too because my other housemate wrote her dissertation on butterflies-though it was just the one kind, but she still knew some interesting facts about some of the others. I liked the big black and white ones and watching them drinking up orange juice was really cool. I also really liked the glass wing butterfly because it has see through wings. It was hard to take a photo of, but I think I just about got it. The reason why it's wings are like that is for camaflage so it can survive longer in the wild.



We had a good day out over all and Chester Zoo is well worth the visit any time! They have some many cool animals there and the staff are really friendly and know the different animals well. I've some other cool pics too, so I'm going to put them up now.

Liverpool Night out

Hi readers,

I've been baking again! It's a birthday cake this time for my housemate last saturday. I had a problem with the oven though and there's still two peices of cake sitting on the kitchen table waiting to be eaten! It doesn't taste so bad, but the oven just didn't have the energy to cook the middle, so it was slightly uncooked.....still though it's better then no birthday cake! I think it'll be awhile before I cook cake again though....

On saturday night, I went out to celebrate my housemates birthday and that of my other friend who was turning 21. I spent an age getting ready, because I wanted to curl my hair and wear my dress too. It was worth it though and we set out for her house first with presents and drinks. We did get a little lost once we got off at her station though! But we made it to the party and had time to join in the fun and eat these amazing fairycakes....

Then we headed into Liverpool! Has we had caught the train ahead of everyone getting taxis, we got lost finding the nightclub we were going to meet in. We went to Walkabouts first, but left after one drink to try and find everyone. Luckily, I found the place thanks to a few text messages from another friend and we caught up with the group. After that we went to Krazy House. I'd not been before because it only opens a few nights a week and so far I'd not been on nights out on that night or else other plans had meant that we'd not go to that club. I still can't believe I've missed out on that place for 3 years though, because it was really good. There's like 3 different floors and they play didn't music on each. My favourite was the heavy metal one because that's my kind of music. (We're still at the house in the pic below)

I had a great time and I'm so looking foreward to doing it again soon on just a general night out. We got back at like 3am and had pizza- my idea to make sure we had something in to eat after drinking. So it was like 4am by the time we decided to go to sleep. I didn't take that many photos actually, think all that dancing must have got to me, it didn't help that we lost everyone in Krazy House and then because we had kept to the space we had first gethered in, met up with some of them again. My head was fine in the morning, surpirsingly, but I didn't do much on Sunday!

Not been doing much since really, been writing and reading. Going home tomorrow for a break and a catch up with family and next week I'm off to the zoo!

New Novel

Hi readers,

I thought I'd stop by my blog and see if anything was happening....yep 396 comments pending for me! So I'll be reading through them once I'm done here. Not a lot has been going on since last time, well with me anyway. As most of my friends are still doing uni work or have decided to move back home for summer. I've been keeping busy through, I've been writing a post-modern, futurist story about rebel groups and strange shadow voices.....I've been keeping my best friend on edge about it, because she's been reading it, but can't figure out what is actually happening. Good news for me, because she is normally the first person to figure out how a novel or movie is going to end. So I've to be really inventive with this novel to make sure that she doesn't see the ending coming! As of yet I've not seen it either. I think that's why I'm currently really into writing it, because I've no idea how things are going to go.

My characters have been leading the plot and there are like a number of different sets of characters now. They are linked by one person at the minute, though things might change....still though it's a challenge to write. When I first started with it, I had this idea of having it set around and on trains as much as possible, because there was just something about this transport that was important. I've still not figure out why, but I know that trains are a key theme! Then I decided that I wanted to have it written in a strange style. I wanted there to be a sheet of glass between the reader and the happenings within the novel. So the read could still get attached to the characters, but the characters would only show the reader so much. Meaning that most of the time the reader is left out of the world which the characters live in. So this distance was created and it's still going on. The reader doesn't know anything! Issue is though, this means I don't know anything either......

Difficult to explain, but hang on a minute. As the writer I should know my characters and the plot. I should be the one making the choices and deciding things, but for this novel to work out how I started it, I can't be in control. Therefore, I don't know myself what'll happen till I start writing and the characters wonder into my mind and show me things. The other restriction I've in place at the minute is not thinking about the novel when I'm not writing it! So not normal for me, because I like to wonder away from the computer, take a walk outside whilst listening to some loud heavy metal music and let my thoughts drift. This way new ideas enter my head and by the time I return I'm ready to note them down and carry on writing. With my new novel, that's not an option, so I've to relay on the characters to keep showing me things whilst I write, so that I can put them in. Luckily, they are still doing this! Here's hoping they carry on too, because I really want to know how things will work out for all the characters!

So, that's been my life lately. I'm having a night out tonight though! It's a friend's 21st, so I'm going to Liverpool with all my housemates, some of others and her friends for a good night of partying and drinking. Though I'm not going to get too drunk, because that's a bad thing. So there'll be photos of that coming tomorrow or Monday....depending on how things go and if we go to any good places I'll write about them too. :)

Halloween trick or treats?

(My pumpkin this year)

Yeah! It's Halloween! Though I've been celebrating since Wednesday, that was the night of our party-due to the issues with the other nights. Anyway, a lot seems to have happened since I last typed and its only been 10 days. I've lots of photos as well, so I'll be posting them as I go along. 

So the set up for my party went on for 3 days before hand, because we had to turn the house into a giant spiders den with lots of black cobwebs and candles for light. We carved the pumpkins on Tuesday, which took an age- as you can see. Then on Wednesday I made pumpkin pie and a sponge cake.

 Then it was party time! We made a rule that everyone had to come as a movie, TV, anime character and anyone who didn't turn up as such had to take off an item of clothing and run down the road screaming little green men are chasing me! Luckily, everyone turned up in a good costume and we had a good time.

 

Then on Thursday I had booked my ticket to go and see the Poet Laureate- Carol Ann Duffy and Billy Collins who's sort of the USA PL. I'm not really into poetry but this seemed like a once in a life time thing and it was free as well! So I went along and saw them both read out some of their poems and then I brought some books and got them signed! I seem to be building up a collection of signed books now.  That was a good experience.

 On Friday I went on a field trip with creative writing fiction. We went to the Williamson Tunnels in Liverpool for the afternoon. It is meant to be the inspiration for our next short story, but the small area of tunnel we were shown didn't hold much inspiration, though the information the guide give us did. I heard that many people were disappointed in the trip, having no doubt built up the same expectations I did and then had then crushed on arrival. Thing was it would have been nice to spend more time down there and to explore other sections, though I know how dangerous it could be, also the fact that the tunnels were built for nothing and had no real sense of history was a down side. I think what made the tunnels most interesting to me was the fact that they were setting up for Halloween and that added a whole different face to the tunnels. I'm not sure about ideas either, because I already had one, but it seems like it's been done a billion times already. Still shall have to see how it goes.

Lastly, I'm waiting for the trick or treaters now, its almost time for them to start showing up at the door. Some how though I think my dog has given up on them already! Still I shall light my pumpkin and see if anything decides to visit me. Happy Halloween!

Halloween plans

(Me and my housemates)

Hi, not wrote again in awhile but I've been mega busy with uni stuff and friends and there's no slowing down in sight of these things. I went to a 21st on Monday, which was okay, but didn't like the restaurant, they made us wait for food too long and I had a killer headache, so no drinking for me! The after party didn't work out much better and though I had a good time it was difficult because I felt so ill.

I'm better now, though I'm running short of money, which doesn't help with Halloween just around the corner and my party next Wednesday. Its' set to be good though and today I'm going to practise making my sponge cake in the oven and I've already tidied my room and vacuumed the house. Still have some homework for tomorrow to do and so need some more sleep. I'm home alone right now so I'm doing some clothes washing and listening to loud music.

(The 21st meal)

Not a lot of interesting stuff has been going on really, just been ill- this cold is still within me-and been doing boring uni work and having no time to work on my own novel, which is slowly killing me inside. There really is not enough time to get everything done and I'd love a 25 hour day, that added hour could be mega useful for me. I do have to be thankful that my housemates are getting on and that there has been no issues, beside from the fact one believes he can live on takeout food for the rest of the year!

Anyway with the house tidied, the Halloween decs can start going up on Monday and I've been planning my pumpkin pie- already got a pumpkin and some spices-need to get the recipe from my mum and then I can make that on Wednesday morning. Good job I've no essays due in till 10th November and I'm off wed and Thursday. Excited about that now! Better go do my homework before I get the Halloween box out again!

(Me and in some of my Halloween costume)

Autumn knitting for xmas

The summer has all but faded now, yes its still clinging in the warm air and the sun is still warm when it appears, but there is that unmistakable hand of autumn in the air now. The nights are getting darker and longer, there's a cold touch to the ground and walls and there's so much more rain now. So, its time for people to spend more time in doors and what better way to pass the evenings then knitting?

That's what my mum is doing in the photo, knitting me an autumn jacket. I can knit too, but it takes me forever and I'm not as fast as her and I just seem to get bored unless its something small like a patch for my blanket or a part of something my mum is knitting. I hear that knitting is coming back now and that people are buying more knitted things in the shops. There's just something different about knitted clothes and I know that most people-me included-remember times when wearing something knitted made you look stupid. Not the way now it seems!


This is my latest jacket, the one my mum is knitting above. Its a summer one, but she's making the sleeves longer so that it'll be more suitable to autumn. Its the same blue colour, but a different wool and I'm hoping she'll have it finished before I go back to uni next week!





I'm so looking forward to that, can't wait to move in and all my housemates are just as excited as me now. I've already packed all my clothes- just need to find some more socks! Isn't that always the case? I'm sure the washing machine has eaten them and just left me with all the odd ones! I'll have to go to Primark and buy some more again.

I'm already making plans for winter and Xmas too. Like my next photo; a winter coat, yeah knitting again! But this one is going to be my Xmas present. The wool is mega expensive - sirdar's Nomad, its really soft and woolly, but light at the same time and mum's going to make me a hood. So it'll be a great winter coat then.

But of course before winter and Xmas, comes autumn and Halloween! One of my favourite times of year to be sure! And that also seems to be coming back, well in the shops and some areas. Halloween is becoming a bit like Christmas really; people have forgotten what its about and how to celebrate it. They seem to use it as an excuse to behave wrong and ignore others beliefs.

Anyway, in my true fashion, I've begun my Halloween shopping. As its easier to buy the things I want to add to my Goth/Halloween collection before everyone else decides that they need to buy things! So I started with 2 signs last week and I brought the one below today. I thought I could use it in the kitchen when I host my Halloween party. The plans for that are already under way. I've my costume already now-because I had to hand make it with my mum. I'm going as a Gypsy fortune teller, which was suggested by my best friend because I'm tarot card reading at the party. The theme is movie/tv/anima characters and I still have a lot to plan!

Lastly, the gnomes are back! They are also on the knitting list, two of them this time and they are for two people who got left out both times around, but I've now decided that its time they join the gang. But these gnomes are mega special and of course top secret at the moment, because I know that one of those said two people reads my blog, so I can't write or show my plans on here. So for now here's a photo of the gnomes who were made Xmas 2008 and who led the start of me giving gnomes out to my friends. May their numbers continue to grow!

21st birthdays, oh how they roll around.

Hey, been busy again, mostly with playing Sims 3 and reading Oliver Twist. You know that Charles Dickens guy so manged to capture a whole image of the time he lived in. Twist is packed with so much detail that you can picture yourself standing in London 1838, watching the Artful Dodger and his pals pick the pockets of the rich. Plus you also feel so sorry for poor Oliver and deep down you sort of realize that the life Oliver has wasn't fiction for some children.....

Moving on to my title then, I helped celebrate my close friend's 21st birthday on Tuesday. He turned 21 on Friday, but it was easier having the party on Tuesday. We went out had a few drinks and then headed back to the student house for pizza and cake. I made the cake myself, though it didn't turn out as I planned.....

Mostly that's been my week....

It's Christmas!

At last the Christmas decs have gone up in my house! I'm currently sitting in the living room with my parents, watching a film -sorry its not a Christmas one!-But the Christmas tree looks really good, the colour scheme is red, gold and sliver and I just love the glass ornaments and the teddy bears, plus the Jingle Bug is also in the tree! For those that don't know him, he comes from a book all about Christmas with bugs and its a kid's book. It's one of my favourites tho! Also the wooden beams are covered in white fairy lights and the ceiling boarder has been done too now.

The tinsel is on the door, the xmas cards are stringed up along the wall and we were listening to xmas music before! So now all that is need as the presents under the tree and for it to start snowing! :) Feels strange, feeling Christmasy but I just can't believe it is here again! Last year was my first Holiday from uni and I can still remember hurrying out of my room whilst the Amercians were getting their goodbyes and then being dragged into photographs by my SA. This year it'll be different, I'll be leaving my housemates and hoping that they remember to empty the fridge and bin before they leave! I'm looking forward to getting my i-pod touch and spending time with my family.

I'm almost finished with my second to last essay now. Still got a fast passed week ahead of me now, the last week = an essay due in every day, 3 nights out and trips to orm market once more. I shall try and make the most of it and not get too stressed! I give my presentation on monday, scary! Then I'm out to tea with my eng lit friends. Tuesday my play script is due in and I'm off to a friend's xmas party that night. Wednesday my poems are due in and then I'm off to Liverpool for a night of celebrations! Thrusday my last day and my change to get my last essay in. If not it'll be friday before I go home, because that is when it is due in, but I don't want to be worrying about handing it in. have to see, bit if a pain tho!

Then I'm going to take a break from work and just chill out! I so need to right now!