Hoghton Tower | It smells like Autumn

It has been a chilly day, and the air has smelt like autumn. The seasons are definitely changing. I love autumn, I think it must be my favourite season. I know summer is hot, but when you live in the UK the heat is a hit and miss thing anyway. But autumn is lovely! The rich colours, the crunchy leaves under your feet and the crisp morning air. Not to mention the clothes you get to wear! I’m a huge sucker for the scarf and hat look. When you can get all togged up, put on your gloves and coat, drink hot soup and feel looked after. It definitely is a cosy season.

So with it being on the tail end of summer my family and I decided to make the most of the sun and head over to Hoghton Tower. We didn’t know it existed until we saw it the other day on a television program and what a little gem it is! With it only being around half an hour away from where we live it was the perfect day trip out.

We managed to catch the first guided tour and they took us all around the house, even showing us the underground passageways. It was really interesting. There were rooms where The Duke of Cambridge had stayed, places where Last Tango in Halifax was filmed and the bed that David Tennant used in the recent film Casanova. King James I had even visited. The walled gardens of the house were beautiful  and with it being the third most haunted house in Britain it was really up my street (because of my recent obsession with the American series Ghost Adventures, but that’s another story!).

 Here are a few photos of the day, don’t mind my outfit! It was jumper, coat and turtle-neck weather (definitely the change of seasons).  

My familyyyy

Me and my Mummyy!!

Blog 100 | Challenge 100

This is my 100^th blog post and what better way than to set myself a challenge…

Seeing as this is my 100^th blog, I have decided to answer 100 questions I’ve found on a collection of ‘self-discovery’ sites and hopefully before the summer ends I will have managed to get through them and will have ‘discovered myself’ before I leave for university.

The inspiration behind me setting myself this challenge is because I recently went to a Mind and Spirit fair where I spoke to a lady about writing a journal. She explained how it had been self-meditating for her and had helped her through hard times in her life. I know this idea isn’t quite like writing a journal but hopefully it will allow me to express myself and discover things I didn’t know about myself. It will be one big learning process for the both of us!

Some of the questions are quite personal and some are very vague but I will try to be extremely honest with you throughout answering them and more importantly be brutally honest with myself.

Do expect some random blogs in between these questions as I may want to share something with you that might not be entirely related to this challenge I’ve set myself, but I think the majority of them will be! (at least  100 of them however!)

Anyway here goes! My 100 questions challenge…

The only rule is that I answer them all.

Wish me luck

J   

OOTD | Summer

Hat - MissSelfridge

T-shirt - TopShop

Kimono - NewLook

Shorts - Primark

Watch - Gift

Necklaces - Gifts

Not to mention the Bowie phone case, a Christmas present from my Aunty!

Tee and Cake | NASA

Loving my new NASA top at the moment. I bought it a few days ago from Top Shop's Tee and Cake section as a present to myself for revising for my Alevels. I think it's important to treat yourself every once in a while, especially when you're bogged down with college work. A shopping spree on one side of revison and a bath and hot chocolate on the other side tends to soften the blow.

Being a fan of astrology, space and rockets I think this top is awesome! I don't have a lot of t-shirts that have small short sleeves on them either! Not that I can complain, it's my own fault, I tend to chop off the sleeves and the collar of my t-shirts giving them a unique and personalised feel. However, with this tee I'm planning on keeping the sleeves!

The thing I love about Tee and Cake tops is that they come with a recipe for cakes attached to the tab. I think it's such a cute idea. I've not had chance to bake this recipe yet but apparently they make really good cakes - after my exams I will have to try them out!

I must admit the top itself was quite expensive. At £22 I did have to umm and ahh... especially with being a student, it's a lot for a tee. But it was so pretty and such good quality that I couldn't leave it behind, and student discount helped the bank account a little bit!

I'm so glad I bought it in the end and can't wait to pair it with some shorts this summer.

Front, back and recipe on my tee!!

Childhood | A late night ramble

I want to be 5 again. Wouldn’t it be great to be that age, when nothing mattered, you got to play with toy dinosaurs and beanie babies all day. There was no concept of time. Tea would be made and you’d be called in from the back garden to come and eat it only then to return to playing pretend. I feel I was much more creative in my mind back then than I am now. I may know more, but fun isn’t the same kind of fun. Stories are ruined. Magic that was once there is now lost and things don’t seem to have that sunny hazy glow to them any more.

It’s quite sad, and I don’t understand it really. The saying ‘’the good old days’’, I’ve never got it until now. Of course there will be more good days to come, but I doubt they’ll ever be as good as all of the special moment I had as a child. My childhood seems to be packed with sunny memories.

Where has the sun gone?

I’m sure it must have rained but I can’t remember those days. They say the brain only remembers the good memories and maybe that’s what’s happening here …

The only rainy memory I have is that of a thunderstorm. Me and my sister were sat by our pond in the pouring rain, counting the moths at the window and watching the lightening light up the sky.

We used to make potions out of leaves, water, mud and grass. We invented Whizzers (when really, they were just water balloons). We’d have BBQs and stay out in the back garden until 10 o' clock … YES!! 10 o' clock!

Everything was innocent and charming … Where has time gone? I can’t seem to keep up with it these days. It’s only a few months until I’ll be leaving home and moving to University, not to mention I’m 18 a week tomorrow. Everything is so scary and everything is going by so fast.

Sometimes I wish I could go back in time and revisit those halcyon days. 

Transeasonal Tracks | It's starting to feel like Spring

The other day I was sat on the bus in my own little world when the smell of freshly cut grass came in through the windows. To me this smell represents the beginning of Spring! The air is still crisp but the sun is starting to sine through the clouds and if you stand in its rays you feel their warmth on your back.

I'm so excited for summer this year. It's going to be one long holiday and there are rumors that it may be hotter than last year which would be awesome!

As spring prepares us for the summer season I thought I'd put together a list of five feel good songs to accompany this transition.

The Temples | Shelter Song 

Coming into their own over the past few months, The Temples are definitely not going anywhere soon. I couldn't write this list without them featuring on it. They make my 6 o' clock starts less painful as I currently have them set as my alarm. I have high hopes for them this summer and can't wait to see what they have in store .... 

The Tribes | Dancehall 

Sadly The Tribes are no longer together, but this doesn't mean we can no longer enjoy them. I absolutely love this song off their album Wish To Scream and I wish that they were still around!!

David Bowie | Modern Love 

An oldie but goodie. I started getting into David Bowie last summer so all of his songs remind me of the hazy mornings going to college where'd he'd keep me company on the long bus rides. I chose Modern Love as I have a fond memory of running for the bus to the beat of this track and feeling extremely embarrassed - Thank God for headphones! 

The Heartbreaks | Delay Delay  

The Heartbreaks are one of my favorite summery bands. I've chosen a song from their old album as I feel as though their new album is more serious. Each song from their old album could be a single - not to mention they remind me of Kendal Calling last year. 

King Charles | Bam Bam

This man is amazing. His mustache is great and his hair is to die for! His songs are on a very thin line of really summery awesomeness and ridiculously cheesy, but never the less Bam Bam has made it onto my list of feel good songs - and that's exactly what it is!