Sensitive soul

I was a sensitive soul when I was a child. Sad movies, songs and books used to always make me cry. I vividly remember going into my room and sobbing inconsolably after watching Dragonheart (remember that movie, with Sean Connery playing a dragon? It was great). However, somewhere down the line, I stopped getting so teary about things. I don't mean that I became I robot or anything and stopped feeling things. I still acknowledged the sad scenes in movies, like when Jack dies in Titanic (I don't mean to spoil it for anyone but come on, Titanic is about a million years old now), I just for some reason didn't get as upset by things like this anymore. This went on for years and years. Until now, apparently.

Recently, I feel like I've been getting teary eyed a lot. I think perhaps I've just watched/listened to a lot of sad (or at least moving) films and songs lately. For instance, in the last month I've watched The Fault in our Stars (sad), Les Miserables (it's called that for a reason people), The Theory of Everything (incredibly moving) and The Book Thief (very sad). Also, I was listening to the Wicked soundtrack the other day and when For Good came on, I very nearly bawled. 

However, would you like to know the most recent thing to make me cry? This song from An American Tail



I don't know what's happening to me.

Song of the Day: Polaroid Picture by Frank Turner

A lick of paint

You may have noticed I've had a layout change. I've always had issues with my blogger themes ever since I started blogging, and even though I got better at changing things myself, I decided I am just not good enough at design to ever be completely happy with what I can come up with on my own. So I bought an easily customised theme from etsy, had a little play, and voilĂ ! I may not be able to use Photoshop very well, but I can cut and paste code like nobody's business. I've also added a blogroll because sharing is caring. 

I'm really happy with it, I feel like it looks more like a 'real' blog (if that makes sense?). It makes me excited to write more on here (although I think I'm doing pretty well so far this year - but then again it is only January). 

Song of the Day: On My Side Leighton Meester

A revelation

I got up early this morning to do some exercise before I thought the better of it. It was still dark outside as we are stuck in what feels like an eternal winter, and 5 minutes into Jillian Michaels 30-day Shred I was beginning to realise how unfit I am. Also, why do her two mates that help her on the videos smile so much? It's not fun, it's hard. On the plus side, as long as I keep it up, it will get easier. So I'm calling this Day One. Wish me luck.

My reasoning for doing workouts in the morning rather than leaving it until later in the day are that I figure it will make me more productive for the rest of the day. If my alarm goes off at 7 and I get up straight away, I can get ready and do my exercise and be all finished by 8. Then I can have a shower, get some breakfast and a cuppa, and I'm all energised and motivated and ready to take on the world by 9, at the very latest. It's a good plan and I'm determined to stick to it. I really really am.

The only problem with getting so much done so early, is that now it feels like it should be mid to late afternoon, when actually it's only 12.30. Oh well, I'm sure I'll manage to adjust.

In other news, I really want to make these candles, because come on, they look awesome.


Song of the Day: Young Chasers by Circa Waves

Snow Worries (get it?)

It snowed last night. There's something really magical about when it starts snowing at night time. It's like a promise of what tomorrow might bring. At the very least, your usual surroundings will be completely transformed into a winter wonderland for you to marvel at from the comfort and warmth of your house.

However, that's not to say you can't be disappointed. It can't have snowed for that long as there really wasn't that much, and the sun was out in full force this morning, creating patchy, sludgy bits of snow not worth taking pictures of. I did spend a little time watching the snow melt and the steam rise off the tops of the fences where the sun hit though. So not a total loss.


There's more forecast for Saturday. Fingers crossed.

Song of the Day: From a Closet in Norway (Oslo Blues) by You+Me

Let's Talk About Books

I've always considered myself an avid reader, but in preparing for this blog post I've realised that I'm not as well-read as I thought I was. That's something I'm going to have to remedy I think, there's tonnes of books on my 'to-read' list. I'm not going to set myself a target though, because I always fall embarrassingly short and I'd prefer to read without putting so much pressure on myself. It's supposed to be fun, after all.

Anyway, I'm not here to discuss what I haven't read, but what I have read, both in my childhood/teen years, and what I've read more recently. It's a favourites list, sort of.


A couple of the books I'll mention are not pictured, because I have them on my Kindle rather than a hard copy.


  1. Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison. This is the first of ten(!) of the Confessions of Georgia Nicholson books. I probably started reading them when I was in my young teens and carried on until the last one came out when I was probably 19 or 20. I'd always finish them within hours of starting as the diary layout is very quick to read, but they were, and still are, hilarious. I don't think I'll ever get rid of them, I'd happily re-read the entire series. The movie (Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging) is well worth a watch too.
  2. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Out of all the books I've ever been forced to read, this is my favourite. I studied it for A-Level English Literature, and I normally end up hating any book I have to study just because you have to go over it in such minute detail that it takes away any potential enjoyment you might have had for it under other circumstances. Luckily, not in this case and I actually really enjoyed it, despite not really taking a liking to any of the characters! Also, it reminds me of this Kate Beaton comic which is hilarious:
  3. The Road by Cormac McCarthy. I would highly recommend this. It's about the journey of a man and his young son through a barren wasteland to try and find the coast.  It's a little (okay, a lot) emotionally draining, but it is so well written. It's post-apocalyptic and I love that kind of book. I haven't seen the movie adaptation yet, I'm not too sure I want to, but you should definitely read the book, it's fantastic.
  4. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. This story is narrated by Death and it follows a young girl, Liesel, who is living with a foster family in Germany during the outbreak of the second World War. She has a penchant for stealing books (hence the title). I don't want to give anything away, but it's beautifully told with an array of different characters, definitely worth a read. Again, I've not yet seen the film but my brother tells me it's good.
  5. Firesong by William Nicholson. This is the third book in The Wind on Fire trilogy. All three are great but this one is my favourite. It centres around twins Bowman and Kestrel that have a telepathic connection (which would be so cool) and their journey to their homeland. It was one of my favourites as a teenager and I think I'm about due for a re-read.
  6. Redwall by Brian Jacques. The Redwall books are synonymous with my childhood, I don't think I'll ever tire of them. They're so imaginative and wonderfully descriptive. I just love the idea of mice wielding swords and being great warriors. I think Redwall is the first one but any of them (and there are loads) are worth reading.
  7. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. I read this last year, and although it took some time to get into it, I became hooked and just had to find out what had happened. I don't want to say anything about it because I wouldn't want to give anything away. I didn't know anything about it when I first read it so it was very refreshing and surprising.
  8. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell. This is a really sweet little love story but it also deals with some pretty serious issues like child abuse and racism. Another fairly easy read, but I couldn't put it down. 
Honorable mentions go, of course, to the Harry Potter books, but I thought that would be so obvious and so left them out. Plus everyone's read them already. I'm hoping for some more favourites to add to my list this year, if you have any recommendations please let me know!

Song of the Day: Heal Over by KT Tunstall

Snippets of Christmas

My one and only resolution this year is to drink more water. That's it. So far, on the third day of 2015, I have had precisely three glasses. Not pints either, just regular sized. It doesn't sound much, but if you know me you'll know how bad I am at keeping hydrated. So, you know, baby steps.

Christmas and New Year have passed by in a blur, as they tend to now I'm an 'adult', but it has been wonderful. Quiet family time, fantastic food, lots of wine and even more chocolate. It's been perfect. The tree came down today, so it's looking rather bare in our living room.


A trip to Derbyshire where there had been snow resulted in some unexpected sledging fun. On bin-bags, mind you, but sledging nonetheless. We discovered that we'd grown out of our 'no sense, no feeling' ages, and began to feel the cold very quickly and so retreated inside. Alas, the trials and tribulations and getting old.




I feel refreshed, relaxed and ready for what the new year will bring. Welcome to 2015 everyone. Here's hoping it's a good'un.

Song of the Day: Shake by Walk Off The Earth

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