Things I Have Loved This Week - 19th May

Another week has flown by. I’ve got lots to talk about so here goes!

Rugby 7’s

Every year Twickenham Stadium hosts the ‘Rugby 7’s’ – A day where lots of rugby is played, people dress up to the nines and lots of beer is consumed. It was touch and go whether I would be going. My leg is really starting to improve (HALLELUJAH) but I’m still incredibly weary of large crowds, if someone knocks my leg I seriously know about it and I WILL bite…

You only live once and it was a chance to catch up with one of my nearest and dearest friends Chloe. We bandaged my leg up and off we went. Comfort was key that day so I dodged jumping on the ‘let’s spend a truck load of money on our ticket AND our fancy dress costume’ band wagon and I opted for an all black ensemble, shoved a tub of glitter all over my face and wore some sparkly alien antennaes. The theme this year was ‘Out Of This World’ and there were some really incredible costumes. As you can imagine my black outfit only narrowly missed the shortlist for best dressed…

I caught up with so many old friends, the sun was shining, I had a beer in my hand and it was such a great day! No one knocked into my leg which was a complete miracle, I didn’t stumble over and disgrace myself which was even more of a miracle and the day was just fab, until the journey home…

Every road in Twickenham was closed that day so the only method of transport was to follow the herd of thousands of people and walk from the stadium back to the train station. The queue to get a train took over an hour and a half. By this stage I had sobered up and I was desperate to get home. I left all my friends at the stadium enjoying themselves as I was keen to make my getaway. Rubbing shoulders with drunkards in skimpy fancy dress knickers, men squeezing their packages into bikini bottoms (WHY?) and having other people's body paint sweating off their arms and sticking onto my glittery skin is just YUK. I finally got my seat on the train just as a drunken hooligan next to me pulled his pants down and attemptED to wee on the train. Luckily the guard stopped him in time and he was dragged off the train a few minutes later. Amazing day but I’ve realised I’m getting old and boring. My tolerance for drunk people is really starting to diminish, I was more than happy to return home, get my pj’s on and sit in my slippers with a cuppa tea in my hand. The small pleasures.

Judging Teen Star 2015

Teen Star is a nationwide singing competition. It’s the UK’s biggest search for teenage and pre-teen singing talent and this year saw just under 10,000 applicants. I was invited to be on the judging panel for the London Area final and jumped at the opportunity! At first it was hard to get my head around it. I’ve been asked to judge? Me?

Years ago when I was taking my singing career seriously I knew SO much about Teen Star and its sister company Open Mic UK. Despite never having the balls to enter I knew what a great platform it was for young emerging talent. Who was I to sit at the front of the stage and score each act? Some of the kids were under 12 years old! I was blown away by their confidence and passion for performing and I admired them all so much. The talent was unbelievable and it was awesome to have an entire theatre packed out in support for these young kids. It worked a little like X Factor. There was a huge stage, a table in front of the stage for judges and industry professionals and behind us were a sea of supportive faces! Throughout the competition the microphone was handed over to me and I was able to say what I was looking for in an act and whose performance I enjoyed so far. I felt so lucky to be able to spend the day encompassing both my experience as a singer songwriter but also use my presenting skills to talk to a room of hundreds of people.  Well done to EVERYONE that entered, you blew me away with your talent and confidence. I could never have got up on a stage like that at 8 years old. You’re all brilliant.

I will be writing a blog post about my day in a little more detail. I want to specifically talk about which performances impressed me and what were the sort of things I was looking for. My opinion is ONLY an opinion but I know if years ago I found a little blog post from a previous judge I’d have been really keen to see how they were scoring each act and what they were looking for. Even if it only helps just a couple of young singers then I’m happy. Keep your eyes peeled for it :)

Drinks With Friends

I’ve realised this week just how the simple things in life with friends can mean so much. I had an amazing time at the rugby with Chloe but in all honesty the night before when I snuggled in her dressing gown and she made me a cuppa and we talked about anything and everything was my favourite part of my whole weekend with her. I become so used to speaking to my friends over Watsapp and txt message it’s really special to just be in their company, no TV and no iPhones glued to our side. 

A few days later my friend Holly came home and we caught up over an incredibly indulgent hot chocolate with all the trimmings. I speak to Holly most days over Watsapp but there’s something so different about old fashioned conversation. When you ask someone face to face how they are you can get SO much more detail out of them. I’m in the worst habit of saying ‘yeah I’m fine thanks…’ over txt message when actually I should be offloading and sharing my stresses and thoughts to a friend. We spoke about careers, boys, general life stuff and it felt so so good! Thank you Holly and Chloe for the simple things. Great drinks and great conversation.

Juice for 50p

When I dropped Holly home from our hot chocolate hour we noticed a little girl on the side of the road raising money for Nepal. She was standing behind a table outside selling lemonade and juices for 50p. When I saw this it literally melted my heart and Holly and I soon raced out the car to go chat to her. Luckily I had plenty of change in my purse (makes a change...) I handed the young girl a few pounds and Holly and I took our juices. She was such a sweet bundle of energy and I can imagine how proud her Mum must have been of her for standing out on the street raising money for such a great cause. Well done Lucy, it was lovely to meet you!

I was really hoping to get this blog post up yesterday but I had to deal with a rather unfortunate encounter last night. My cat snuck into my bedroom yesterday morning and despite being allergic to her it was quite a novelty and privilege to be paid a visit! (I normally religiously shut my bedroom door so she can’t sneak in). My cat sat on my bed for 10 minutes whilst I got ready to leave the house. I came back into my bedroom before heading out the door, had a thorough look around to make sure she was NO longer in my room and I firmly shut the door behind me. Hours later I came home to find my cat had been in my bedroom ALL that time. She must have been hiding in my wardrobe, sneaky bugger... To my horror she had peed ON MY BED. Nope, not on the carpet, not on the dirty towel I had left on my bedroom floor but MY ACTUAL BED. I spent the evening washing everything and scrubbing my mattress like my life depended on it. My bed is now spotless but I’m still unhappy...

Here’s a picture of Delphi before she committed the crime of the century. Butter wouldn’t melt… (Love you really pissy pants.)

Thank you for reading, have a wonderful week and I will see you in my next bloggy :)

C x

Things I Have Loved This Week - 11th May

Another week has flown by and this time I find myself writing this blog post in a fluffy dressing gown and slippers like the little old lady I am. This weeks post involves a whole lotta family love, fish rescuing and General Election voting. Enjoy!

Having Your Say

Now, I'm not one to really get into the nitty gritty of politics BUT when it comes to the General Election I've realised it's so important to HAVE YOUR SAY. Two weeks before the election I had no interest or care about voting. I thought being 'impartial' masked my political naivety and playing Switzerland and sitting on the fence was the right thing to do. I believed I didn't have enough political knowledge to justify my vote. Well, I now realise two weeks ago I was a complete ignorant banana. A banana I am not proud of and certainly wouldn't recommend eating! I'm 24 years old. I have absolutely NO excuse not to vote. Women died for the right to vote and who the hell do I think I am by seeing this whole General Election as just a 'get off my TV, it's so boring, go away' type scenario.

I was slightly sceptical about mentioning voting in this blog post. Are we all bored of hearing about the General Election? Probably! But when I was on the train last week and overheard a young girl tell her friend she wasn't going to vote but if she was FORCED TO she'd vote for the political party that were associated with her favourite colour! I was shocked to the core by this and totally embarrassed on her behalf. It was scary to think that just two weeks before I voted I was more similar to the 'train girl' than I ever wanted to be.

I ended up gathering enough information to decide who I should vote for and off I went to the polling station. I have to say it was a great liberating feeling to be involved. I suddenly watched the news and UNDERSTOOD what was going on (mostly!) Number of seats, exit poll, Nicola Sturgeon, manifesto, referendum, Nigel Farage etc. ALL these words and names I recognised had SUDDENLY made sense. I'd hate for people to think I was naive and I'm certainly not proud of the fact I had no care or interest in the future of our country nor am I proud of judging the girl on the train BUT I'm so pleased I voted and took an interest. I know a lot of my friends didn't vote and I really hope they see the importance of having their say and getting involved in something that will affect us all. I even got so carried away by feeling all grown up I bought a newspaper for the train home. Goodbye OK Magazine, it's been nice knowing ya...

Bring Your Sister To Work Day

My brother is a bundle of charismatic charm and it was my pleasure to help him out at a trade show last week. Dexter is the proud MD of Vape Importers, a distribution company for E Liquids. No idea what I'm talking about? You know, those electronic cigarettes that people use instead of smoking the unhealthy and expensive 'real deal'. A booming business and one Dexter has already been heavily involved in for the last few years. I was his promo girl for the day. I handed out leaflets, encouraged punters to his stand and made myself useful by keeping him in constant coffee and water supply. He also wanted LOADS of tissue... Not sure what they were for but blimey he WANTED TISSUE.

Anyway... I'm sure my brother won't mind me saying this but he hasn't always been the workaholic he is today. Don't get me wrong he has ALWAYS had the potential to move mountains with that brain of his but being the more 'rebellious sibling' (to put it lightly...) it is SO amazing to see him do so bloody well. I know I'm biased but seeing him in action last week was one of my proudest moments. He is so switched on, passionate, amazing with customers, amazing with his team and basically he seriously knows his sh*t. His business is already making a serious impact in the vaping world and he deserves every bit of success. Well done Donut! Just don't ask me for anymore tissues. I will say no.

 

The Prettiest Afternoon

Last Monday I was unable to get a train into London from Essex because sadly someone threw themselves in front of a train at Stratford. I always feel SO guilty when I curse at the inconvenience caused by something like this. Why would you do something like that when you know it will affect so many people? But how dare I get annoyed when someone was clearly so desperate and unhappy they felt they had to do that. I have absolutely NO right to judge. We could all go round in circles debating this argument but instead I took this time to go on a little drive and I stumbled across this beautiful field of yellow flowers. Suddenly all frustration to what I deemed as a 'ruined day' dispersed. My day wasn't ruined at all and I'm ashamed to even think it was. Next time your day doesn't go to plan and you're feeling sorry for yourself, give yourself a stiff talking to, go find some yellow flowers and all will be right with the world. I Promise. 

My Fruit Basket Delivery

I was driving home last week and spotted an M&S box outside the front door. "I haven't ordered anything from M&S. Bloody hell, they've delivered it to the wrong address. HOW can the delivery driver be so stupid..."

On closer inspeciton the delivery driver was not wrong! (soz babe). The box was addressed to me and inside was the most amazing fresh fruit basket and card. My Great Auntie Shelagh was told about my spider bite and heard I may be having an operation on my leg. (Operation currently on hold. Long story...) She was sorry to hear I was still suffering nearly 7 weeks later and sent me this lovely package to cheer me up!  

That evening I called round her house to thank her and catch up. She greeted me at the door with a pinny round her waist and a freshly laid out tablecloth on her kitchen table with dinner bubbling away in the oven. My Great Auntie Shelagh lives by herself and is amazing for nearly 82. I had such a lovely evening that night and I was transported back to my childhood. I mean, WHO nowadays wears a pinny AND uses an embroidered table cloth just for a causal evening meal? I also had a side plate with a slice of bread on it. Just so bloomin cute. 

My fruit basket was so thoughtful of her and I'm so glad I could show my thanks by spending time with her. I'm sure she would have been so happy to receive a phone call and a thank you card but giving someone your time beats all those things. After this blog post I'm going to drop her a quick e-mail. Despite the cute tablecloth and her traditional ways she's pretty 'down with the kids' and loves receiving messages on her new swish iPad! Ha

I know reading these blog posts probably makes me seem like I'm incredibly busy but I have some days where my leg hurts so much I hardly leave the house and I spend all day in my jim jams (today being one of those days. Oopsy, should't have attempted to dance at a wedding on Saturday night. Bad Carelle, no sympathy for you).

Fish Rescuers

On Saturday I went to the most beautiful wedding. Each table had a goldfish bowl as its centrepiece and for those that know me well know I LOVE FISH. It was hard to contain my excitement and I immediately turned to my boyfriend saying "Can we keep him? Can we keep him? oh pleeeeeease..." *Insert pupppy dog eyes* At the end of the dinner everyone was told to release their goldfish into the beautiful pond next to the marquee. Little did the Bride & Groom know that any big fish in the pond would immediately munch the little gold fish for dinner! Ripples from the other side of the pond swam towards the little fishies and sure enough the goldfish were gone... RIP wedding fish :( Savage.

As soon as we realised we would be releasing the fish into the big pond there was NO way we could be involved in that. I think I was one of very few people that knew the goldfish would last in the pond for no more than 0.2 seconds. We managed to smuggle our goldfish home and he is now the proud brother of Butter, (the fish I bought 5 years ago in Nottingham when I went to Uni). So happy by our fish rescue. Welcome to the family little guy!

That's a weekly wrap from me! Thank you so much for reading my ramblings. Have a wonderful week and I'll see you in my next bloggy.

C x

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Things I Have Loved This Week - 3rd May

Things I Have Loved This Week

3rd May

I'm writing this on the evening of Bank Holiday Sunday. I'm sitting in the living room with my Mum and Step Dad who are insisting we watch a wildlife programme. As much of an animal lover I am I've GOT to write this blog and I want to avoid all potential 'crying at the dead animals when they starve to death' type scenario as I won't be able to see the keyboard from my weeping. I've just heard the words 'The Arctic Fox may lose it's footing and fall to its death' Great. I think that's my cue to zone out and bloody get on with it...

My First Night Out In 6 Weeks!

I'm writing this entry first because I want to justify why I'm sitting in my living room with the rents on a Bank Holiday Sunday and not out socialising! The reason is this - I went out on Friday night to the o2 arena with my friend Ebony to watch the band 'The Vamps' perform. I had an amazing night and it was my first proper outing since my terrible spider bite nearly 6 weeks ago (blog post about that coming soon!). I was on my feet for HOURS (may have wiggled about to the music too) and unfortunately it's important I don't run before I can walk - literally! So it's a few more days rest and a few more wildlife programmes to avoid before I can go out again. Zzzzz

The show was brilliant and to fill the o2 arena two days in a row is an incredible accomplishment. I had an awesome time catching up with Ebony and standing next to my friend Karl Michael who co-wrote their highest charting single 'Can We Dance' with Bruno Mars; the Vamps performed it as their encore (whilst the glitter canon erupted)and it was amazing to share the moment with Karl. Talented little bugger...

I was fortunate enough to interview The Vamps last summer. Here we are!

My 4 Week Old Puppies

One of my Mum's biggest hobbies is breeding Finnish Lapphunds, (reindeer herding dogs from Finland). My Mum puts so much care and love into the puppies and at 4 weeks old they're really starting to get bloody cute. We have a solid brown pup which is very unusual as most dogs of the breed have facial markings, there are very few solid brown dogs like him in the country. The sun was shining today so I took the little brown bear for a cuddle in it. 

We have 6 furry bundles and I will no doubt be featuring the other 5 babes very soon. (Sorry brown bear for exposing your little winky in the picture below...)

Hold Back The River - 50,000 Views

This week my James Bay cover of Hold Back The River exceeded 50,000 views on Youtube. Not a large figure for some Youtube singers but it's a nice little milestone for me. I released the cover back in December when only a small handful of people even knew who James Bay was. After his recent success and Brit Award win, his profile has soared and luckily my cover has seen a traffic increase because of it, thanks JB. 

I think it's very easy for people to judge someone that sings on Youtube or blogs as a 'great self promotor'. When it comes to myself the truth is that I often find it incredibly difficult and with nearly every 'self promoting' post I create, I hit the Publish button and a little cringe pain hits me in the stomach. I've been putting myself out on the internet in one form or another for years but it doesn't always get any easier.

I've realised in the past that I seemed to really focus on the negative, especially when it came to my singing videos - "That cover didn't get many views" "Why did I post that one? I'm singing flat at the beginning" ETC..
What I should be doing is celebrating the little triumphs the internet brings! I very rarely give myself a pat on the back as I'm such a perfectionist with expectations that are often too high. But the truth is I'm chuffed to get to 50,000 in 5 months. So yes, I'm using this blog to shamelessly promote my cover as it's something I'll actually admit I'm proud of*insert cringe feeling in my stomach*

Here's the link. Please go check it out. It will give me another view. Go on... (Soz. Get back in your 'I find self promoting really awkwardly hard' box Carelle).

I just looked up at the tele to see a dead Arctic Fox :( Great...

Deliciously Ella

I have started reading this brilliant book about a young woman named Ella who fell ill from a very rare illness which caused her to be bed-ridden for quite some time. She decided to ditch her addiction to sugar and follow a plant based diet. She cut out all refined sugars, meat, dairy and gluten and her health increased so dramatically she started to lead a healthy and well lifestyle again. She took to writing her recipes in a blog which then led to her writing a very successful book.

I'm certainly not trying to suddenly become a strict vegan. Ella says her book is a lifestyle SHE has chosen for herself. She wants her lifestyle to bring awareness to other peoples diets and encourage them to be as healthy as possible. I've seriously cut out wheat, dairy and refined sugar and although I've only been following it for a week I can't believe how easy and enjoyable it has been so far. I feel great and her recipes are GENUINELY tasty. Promise.

I want to write a blog post in the future about my meals inspired by her book which I have adapted to suit me (Ella eats no meat but I'm adding fresh fish to a lot of her recipes). The famalam took a trip to the health food shop to stock up on essentials. (My Mum and Step Dad are on the Ella hype too. In fact my Mum is actually calling herself Ella...)FACT.

My Therapy Dog (PAT)

For those that have never heard of PAT it stands for Pets As Therapy. My Mum decided to... HANG ON. My Mum is getting A LOT of air time on this bloomin blog post. Serves me right for moving back home and getting bitten by a spider and having zilch social life at the moment. Anyway back to Mum... (love you really!)

My Mum (aka Ella) decided to put my dog forward for a course of assessments to see if he would qualify as a PAT dog. PAT dogs HAVE to be incredibly placid, friendly, calm and have a huge love for people. My dog Salo passed with flying colours and my Mum volunteers her time to take Salo to old peoples homes and chats to the elderly whilst they stroke Salo and enjoy his and my Mum's company. Pretty cute right?

Well this is even cuter...

This week Mum and Salo went to the sweetest little Primary School for a 'Read To Dogs' scheme. Some children really struggle with reading and studies have shown they are more likely to have the confidence to read out loud to a dog rather than a person. (Oh my. Adorable) Only thing is I think the dog is meant to seem like it's listening to the child reading. My dog walked in and promptly lay down on the floor and no doubt within a few seconds started snoring on the school library carpet! BUT the kids absolutely loved him. My Mum came home and felt so rewarded that our dog has helped some children and my little woofer absolutely loved it!

I felt really inspired and proud by Mum's voluntary work. It's amazing how giving up your time can really help people. It's also amazing just how much an animal can help someone. If my dog can put a smile on an elderly person's face or help a child become more confident when they read I'm one happy owner! Well done Ella and Salo.

Also... check out the rather dreamy yellow uniform. WHAT A HUNK.

Another week of lots of lovely things to share and look back on. Good news is I only saw one Arctic Fox die (back to the wildlife programme...) Bad news is that I just fell asleep on the sofa and woke up at 1am. I'm determined to finish this blog post before I go up to bed so I've just made myself a cuppa tea and a hot water and have finally got this finished. (Yes! One less thing to do tomorrow but holy shit it's 1.46am)

A little thought - even if you don't blog try and write down or record your own weekly loves. Although it's so rewarding to see my pageviews increase with each blog post I write, I really love setting aside time each week to reflect on what has made me or others around me happy, regardless of the amount of traffic it receives. I honestly wish I started this blog sooner...

Thank you again for reading my blog and being as lovely as ever. It's time to rest my puffy little eyes and go to sleep. 

If your reading this - thank you. Have a wonderful week.

C x

Things I Have Loved This Week -

Things I Have Loved This Week
28th April

Going against all writing tradition I'm writing this paragraph last! I started writing this blog post last night after a couple of glasses of red wine. Yes it was only a couple but I've not had a tipple for over a month so the results clearly have made me take note of all forms of soppy experiences this week. I'm normally cool so if I get too lovey dovey it's not me. It was the wine...

Being Back At Radio

On a Tuesday afternoon at 2pm I host a Showbiz and Entertainment show on Wandsworth Radio. The last two weeks I haven't been able to get to my radio show. Nearly every hospital appointment I have had recently has been on a Tuesday afternoon - Sods law! Last week was the first show I've been able to get to in ages! I was totally worried I'd forget what every button meant but luckily enough it all came flooding back pretty instantly. I spent the first half an hour catching up with all the other presenters and getting excited over the new bank of music appearing on the computer.

Radio is a form of presenting I've been incredibly keen on getting into as it's an invaluable skill set to learn. In recent months I have had meetings with industry professionals regarding my presenting and one of the first questions they have asked are, "Do you blog? and "Do you have radio experience?" to which I answered "No, not YET.." - Since then I have realised the importance of learning as many different forms of presenting, whether that's talking live on the radio or sitting in my empty bedroom talking to a digital camera. If it's presenting practise and experience that will help me i'm going to do it!

When I next get asked those questions I can confidently respond with, "Yes I have radio experience and yes I blog!". Four months ago the thought of blogging and chatting live on the radio absolutely terrified me! It's such a good feeling to know you're going out of your comfort zone in order to get to where you want to be. There's never any career guarantees but following advice to achieve your dreams is something I'll always be prepared to do. Deep sentence. (Hello red wine).

My Bargain Fashion Find for £18

When I pull this face it means I really really love something (despite what you may think!)

I bought this gorgeous suede tassel coat last week from Boohoo - £18 reduced from £30. I absolutely love it! So much so I wrote a blog post on it which include some 'I'm a serious blogger' type pictures. Basically... I do some sassy attempts at posing which all the other bloggers seem to do. Not quite sure I've nailed it yet but I'm working on it.

You can check out said posing using the link below!
http://carellesayshi.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/my-new-tassel-jacket-from-boohoo-ootd.html


Luke Friend Interview

On Thursday I was invited to interview Luke Friend. If the name rings a bell he's the X Factor contestant with the dreadlocks from a couple of years ago! He's certainly not like any old X Factor contestant, he's in a totally different league. I'll keep this part short and sweet as I'm in the process of writing up a more detailed gig review which will go live very shortly.

We had the loveliest chat and he warned me he was going to be performing an original song called 'Medicine' all about his Grandad passing away. Despite the warning I still managed to suddenly get 'something in my eye' when he started singing. I also developed a very odd tremble in my bottom lip accompanied by a streaming nose. Must have been my allergies...

Ok I balled like a baby. The atmosphere was incredible and I was genuinely blown away by this masterpiece. The Youtube link below is a recording I found from a phone so the quality isn't great but if you're open minded and a lover of lyrics and emotive and honest performances it's certainly worth a watch.

"I'll make you better soon, if love was medicine"

I'm a total sop anyway but perhaps I found this song about Luke's Grandad even more emotive as this week my own Grandma has been in my thoughts a lot. Which brings me on to my next love for the week quite nicely. You'd almost think I've planned this blog post... (despite the vino!)

My Cute Grandma

Last week was my Grandmas birthday and despite not being able to see her I did the next best thing and picked up the phone. I wished her a Happy Birthday and we proceeded to have a huge catch up for the next 20 minutes. We put the phone down and I continued with my day. A day later I spoke to my Dad and he told me that Grandma was 'over the moon' I called her and really loved our conversation. This got me thinking... 20 minutes of my day spent having a lovely chat with my Grandma could mean so much to her. I suddenly felt so guilty. There have been so many 20 minutes in my recent life which I have filled with checking Facebook, Instagram, browsing the Daily Mail website for mindless celebrity culture, (*hangs head in shame*). My Instagram feed and my Facebook newsfeed will always be there, my Grandma wont. I have now made the promise to myself that if my Grandma comes into my thoughts I'm going to txt her, call her or write to her irrespective of whether it's her birthday or not.

Putting my new rule into practise 3 days after her birthday she travelled from her home in Somerset to stay at my Dads house as he had planned to take her on holiday for her 80th birthday present. I arrived at Dads house that evening and spent the evening sitting in the living room with her. She explained how my Dad was treating her to a Business Class seat on the plane on the way to Cyprus. She talked me through the 'posh outfit' she had planned to fly in as she didn't want to be in business class in just 'any old outfit'. Adorable.

My Aunt has a knack of finding really novel gifts and bought my Grandma these great travel items saying "Adventure Before Dementia". Grandma proudly attached them to her luggage and off she went in her carefully planned outfit and the biggest smile. If it wasn't for this blog post I would never have taken a picture of my Grandma in her outfit and with her suitcase but because I loved the moment so much I knew I wanted to feature it. I'm so glad I started this blog because it has encouraged me to take more pictures, create more memories and define what's important. *No more wine for you Carelle...*

Doesn't she look so happy!! 

When I wrote my Weekly Loves blog post last week I received some really lovely messages from my friends and family that were kind enough to read it! I'm presuming it's friends and family as this blog is still incredibly embryonic and probably not reaching any 'internet strangers' yet. If you're reading this THANK YOU, you are wonderful.

Have a lovely week! 

Now go and ring your Grandparents/Parents and tell them how great they are!

C x

Things I Have Loved This Week - 19th April

Things I Have Loved This Week - 19th April

There were lots of things I loved last week. When I drafted this blog yesterday I included mostly beauty and fashion based items, but when I stopped typing I couldn't quite bring myself to hit the 'publish' button. My 'Bloggers Intuition' told me the post just didn't 'feel right'. 

'BLOGGERS INTUITION' Ha! I've only bloody written 3 blog posts in my life! Who on earth do I think I am...

After sleeping on it I soon realised why. Towards the end of the list I created yesterday, I was almost struggling to finish it. I was clutching at straws and wracking my brain as to what I genuinely loved last week... I don't want to blog about something I'm struggling to create. What's the point in that?

So... I decided to just be honest and write down exactly what I have loved irrespective of what they are. There are a few Fashion & Beauty bits thrown in for good measure but it's a real mix match of general stuff that I've enjoyed and appreciated. 

1)Emla Cream

Emla Cream. Not to be confused with "Enema" which is what I thought the nurse was offering me at first!

I am petrified of needles and blood tests. Tears immediately stream from my face, my entire body starts to shake and my teeth start to chatter along with sweating like a P.I.G. I feel grim, I look grim and the whole thing is hideous.

I had a blood test last week which I found terrifying. A week later when I needed a 2nd blood test the lovely nurse sent me home with some Emla cream to place on both arms to completely numb my skin. An hour before my appointment I rubbed the cream on and my arms were numb ready for the needle!  Despite the tears, the body shakes, my boyfriends broken hand from my vice-like grip and one nurse pinning me down whilst the other took my blood, it ended up being err, OK. The Emla cream was hugely appreciated and I now feel I can conquer the world, kinda...

2)Britain's Got Talent

Over the years I've found BGT extremely repetitive. There's no denying us Brits are a talented bunch but if you've seen one amazing dancing dog you've kinda seen them all!

There was one act last weekend which seriously stood out to me. Callum Scott has one of the most well controlled voices I've ever heard and "Dancing On My Own" is an incredible song. I had goosebumps from head to toe! I think he will do brilliantly in the competition this year.

3)My Trip To The Sweetie Shop

What better way to recover from a stressful blood test and another trip to the hospital? Go to the sweet shop, eat sugar and act like a 6 year old without a care in the world of course!!

4)Orange Nail Varnish
Barry M

True Story: A few months ago I had an incredibly vivid dream that I had my nails painted in an orangey, peachy, apricot type colour. Not my usual colour choice AT ALL but this colour has been on my mind ever since. I was in Boots this week and BAM I had a flash back and there it was! Knowing full well I will probably hate the colour I decided to purchase it anyway, (makes sense).

Truth is, I actually love it! It looks terrible on my pasty hands but once the summer is in full swing I'm gonna be rocking this peach and no one can stop me. Moral of the story - Dreams do come true...

5) My £6 Clutch Bag

My monochrome obsession just couldn't resist this black and white clutch bag from Primark. It will go with everything and at £6 it just had to come home with me. Welcome to the brood!

6)Lion Picture

One of my lovely friends Katie is a really keen photographer. She recently went to Longleat and took some incredible pictures of the animals there. Yesterday I received a tweet from her saying "This one is for you" and attached was the most incredible picture of a lion. It put such a smile on my face! Thanks Katie for taking an amazing picture and thank you for knowing me so well! (Lion mad woman right here, Hii!! *waves arm frantically*)

7) Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara

I have been needing to buy a new one for months now and after scraping the barrel to get the last remains of the product out I finally spent my £13 on a replacement! It's the teeniest tiniest mascara wand specifically for your bottom lashes and it's incredible. No panda eyes. At. All. 

8) Visit From My Best Friend

Planning in advance when you're going to see your friends has its benefits but often the spontaneous and impromptu visits can be the loveliest. My best friend Holly popped over a few days ago at a time where I couldn't leave the house. (I'm on medication where I'm not able to drive at the moment).

We sat in the sunshine having a good old gossip whilst sipping tea in the garden, just like a pair of civilised Grannies, (which we are of course).

And that my friends is my list of loves for last week!

FYI - I've made reference to hospital trips, blood tests and medication where I can't drive.  I don't want anyone thinking I'm about to croak! I got bitten by a spider nearly a month ago and it has been an ordeal I never thought would come from something so funny as being bitten by a spider.  Maybe not 'funny' but it's mildly amusing. Especially if it hasn't happened to you!

I will soon be writing a blog post all about my bite for those that don't mind the gory details of the hole in my leg!

I can't get my leg wet so I'm now off to wash my hair over the bath followed by an old fashioned 'strip wash'. Delightful.

Thanks so much for reading and I'll see you in my next blog :)

C x