A Love Note to Innocent Smoothies

All those who know me know my addiction to one particular brand. I am the definition of 'brand loyal' when it comes to Innocent Smoothies. Not only are their products ridiculously delicious (and healthy!!), their brand image is wonderful. Did you think it was possible for a company to simultaneously be crazy ethical and yet feel like that old weird friend with the endless stream of dumb jokes and fun facts? Well my friends, that's Innocent. 

So when I was browsing my Twitter feed and saw they were holding a festival, I booked tickets that very same minute. Which brings me to this post. 

Innocent Unplugged 2016 was the second annual festival where Innocent encourages people to get off their phones, disconnect from social media and actually take a look around. All whilst listening to some pretty cool music and having a couple of smoothies for good measure.

£15 tickets booked (all of which was, I believe, donated to local Kent charities), I waited weeks for the 28th of May to arrive. Unfortunately, the friend I had originally booked to go with had to pull out super last minute and so I ended up going with my sister but nevertheless, I was excited. So tent packed and sunglasses firmly planted on our faces, off to Kent we went with high hopes the weather would be kind to us. Spoilers: It was. Mostly.

Now, I cannot call myself a Festival Connoisseur. In fact, I'd never even been to one. In fact, I'd never even been camping which became painfully clear when my sister and I, equipped with 30 packets of crisps and very little else, unfurled the tent and then proceeded to stare at it for 20 minutes because we didn't have a damn clue what we actually needed to do with this thing to make it, well, tent. We eventually asked our neighbours who kinda laughed at us, realised we were serious and then taught us Camping 101. Thanks guys!)

But as a Festival First, Innocent Unplugged was pretty damn marvellous.

They say you're not allowed your phone and for the most part, people seemed to stick to that, the exception being when they were taking photos of the most Instagram-worthy place I have ever been. Seriously. The festival was in the middle of a forest and arboretum and my god, it was absolutely stunningly picturesque. To get from the camping site to the festival, you needed to walk down a path through the woods which was lit up by fairy lights at night. Then you walked through a path lined with Rhododendrons and other (unknown to me) gorgeous, colourful flowers. I was pretty much expecting to see the White Rabbit running past, it was so bloody beautiful and Alice in Wonderland'y. 

Throughout the day there was a lot of activities going on in different tents, from music on the main stage, to talks by adventurers, food critics and happiness consultants, to activities like belly dancing and story telling. You were never wanting for something to do, and if you were feeling particularly zen, you could drop in on one of the yoga and meditation sessions which were going on throughout the weekend. I spent my time wandering from thing to thing, laughing and joining in with whatever random thing I stumbled upon, sipping on smoothies and coconut water. 

I had my portrait drawn by Rosie Curran, a lady in a 'Photo Booth' (large cardboard box) which promised 30% accuracy and slipped out my picture from a slot in the front of her 'booth'.

I had absolutely gorgeous little flowers painted on my face by Doodle Cheeks 

I ate more free Lick frozen yoghurt than my stomach really wanted me to. 

I crowded into the main tent with a ridiculous amount of people and followed a session held by Mr. Motivator (yes, the Mr. Motivator ft. special guest, Mrs Motivator) 

I joined the last part of a belly dancing class and was instantly bumping my hips against a strangers upon entering the tent. 

I ate half a chicken off the bone and roasted marshmallows as I sat around a camp-fire as the sun set. 

I had a dance party to Destiny's Child on a footpath in the middle of the woods in the middle of the night. 

I had a Sunday morning sober rave which I would highly recommend to anyone. It really wakes ya' up. 

I followed the rave with my first ever meditation and yoga session which has totally converted me to yoga despite the fact two days later I can still barely walk. 

I spent 2 hours talking to strangers in a hot tub and sauna drinking Prosecco whilst a group of adults next to us played children's games. 

And I had a whole butt-tonne of fun. 

Little Megan by Rosie Curran 

One selfie all weekend? Oh, my.

I was intending to play by the rules and so when I arrived and my phone died, I was pretty pleased that the distraction was gone. But when I actually entered Innocent Unplugged, I was gutted that I wouldn't be able to take any photos of the beautiful surroundings Innocent had found to hold their weekend of fun. With the very tiny amount of battery my phone held, I managed to take three photographs. Three blessed photographs. But then I started to enjoy the rest of my weekend without worrying that I hadn't taken a selfie with that background or the photo opportunity in the spa was so wasted. I spent my time actually enjoying it.  
And actually, the rest of the weekend has been photographed in the really retro way; with my memory. Yup. That got real cheesy, real quick. I'm aware. 
But boy, what happy, gorgeous memories I have. 
We really don't need to be on your phones all the time. Yeah, we may miss out on 'likes' and retweets. We may not be able to add filters and make collages of your weekend, but you know what? 
Sometimes life is better when it's not seen through a screen. We have eyes, People. Let's focus them on what's around us. 
It really can be more fun that way. 

If you go down to the woods today... 

So thanks, Innocent. Keep up the good work! 

I would totally send you a fruit basket or something as thanks, but I get the feeling that would be kinda pointless. 

See you next year! 

M x 

Alcoholic Architecture

As we all know, BuzzFeed is full of awesome stuff, useless information and dream locations to drink/eat/holiday. Nearly all of which you will never ever go to.

But last Saturday, on a whim, my sister, her boyfriend (kind of) and myself headed off to a new bar that I had seen in an article (see here).

The bar is called Alcoholic Architecture and BuzzFeed told me you could breath in alcohol instead of drinking it. I was sold.

After a little research, I found out it was in a basement right next to the site of an old Gothic monastery and thus all drinks were themed around monks. And you could drink out of real human skulls. Morbid? Yes. Was I excited? Hell yes.

Due to health reasons, you're only allowed in the bar for 50 minutes and so you have to book your slot. Late on Friday night when we decided to go, we looked online and the only time we could book was 12 - 1. Fine.

We booked it. 

The next day, after a number of sigh-worthy events, we eventually made it to the bar. We were 10 minutes late, which sucked, but the guy on the door was so lovely - and wearing a rather dashing white cape - rushed us right through.

We descended narrow, winding stairs in almost complete darkness. Organ music played.

At the bottom of the stairs is a room kind of like a school changing room with pegs for your belongings. Here, you have to put on a rather flattering plastic poncho to make sure you don't absorb too much alcohol through your skin and eyeballs. (Note: The ponchos aren't flattering. I lied). 

Once in the main bar, we ordered some drinks which were absolutely delicious and incredible strong. Alas, there were no human skulls left because people kept on stealing them - damn people - but it didn't matter. They played pretty damn good music in the main room, too. Old tunes that make you want to dance but unfortunately, there was nobody one the dance floor. They were all too busy breathing in the drinks! Plus, the fact it was midday might have had something to do with it but I can't say for sure.

So we headed over to 'The Cloud' which is the room where you can do the alcohol breathing. There's a window from the main bar where you can see the ghostly silhouettes of those inside The Cloud. It's very strange and made me wish I had more time stand and take photos of the weird sight but there was no time for that. We had drinks to be consumed and gin and tonic to breath.  I did manage to get some photos of my sister inside, though.

Inside The Cloud, the air was completely thick with alcohol vapour I mean, you couldn't see a foot in front of you. The air itself made me cough slightly at first but you soon get used to it. It's a very strange thing to be standing in a cloud box with a whole load of people you don't know and can't really see. There is no music in here, except the dampened thump of the music being played into the main room and some more of the ghoulish monk music being played as we came down the stairs. Later, this was swapped for thunder noises, the lights flashing on and off to recreate lightening. It was strange and I kind of loved it. 

Soon enough the barmaid came in and told us our time was up. We had to leave. Our hair was damp with alcohol and my make up smudged (of course. We were standing in liquid for quite a while But somehow I didn't see this coming). We threw our ponchos in the bin, gathered our bags and were ushered out the door. The guy on the door (the one with the cape, remember?) bid us farewell and a lovely day. 

A lovely day was, in fact, had. We wandered around Borough Market for a long time. If you're ever in the area, Borough Market is not to be missed. It's fabulous. 

I can't say the alcohol had much of an effect on me which is a shame. We stood in the cloud for way over the 15 minutes they advise but I still didn't even have that happy tipsy feeling that comes after a couple of glasses. But the fact everyone was cheery and happy definitely made it a fun place to be. And how often does one go to somewhere like that? Not very bloody often. 

I don't know if I would say you should definitely go to Alcoholic Architecture. The drinks are delicious and there is definitely a good atmosphere. The guys on the door are delightful and the building itself has a really interesting history.

Am I glad I went? 

Yes. Definitely. 

Would I go again? 

Probably not. 

In summary I would say if you're in the area, definitely pop in. It would probably be a great place to pop by when you're on your way out for the evening or really looking for something different to do. But should you go out of your way to go there? 

I don't know....

Alcoholic Architecture closes early 2016. 

M x

 

My Norwegian Adventure

It was my 21st birthday in January. Yeah, I appreciate that was a while ago but you see, I have recently cashed in my birthday present so I hope you're sitting comfortably because you're about to hear all about it. 

I really didn't know what I wanted for my birthday. As it's a big one, my 'rents told me I could have a lil' think about it and let them know. Well, I knew what I wanted. 

I wanted to go to Norway. 

My house mate, best friend and all-round rock, Karoline, is Norwegian, you see. And boy oh boy did I want to see where she lived. It was just pretty handy that happened to be in one of the most beautiful countries in the world. Hurrah! 

So I got my passport sorted, nagged Ma and Pa (who were just as excited as I was) and off I flew. At 5am. Yikes. 

I knew Norway was going to be amazing and beautiful but... wow. I have a feeling this post is going to be full of wows and ohmygod and ican'tevenexplains. So I'm sorry in advance. Here's a little break down of some of the things we got up to because I was there for two weeks and a lot happened. 

Week One

We stayed with Karo's mamma in the first week. Just as a side note, her mother is one of the nicest people I have ever met. She's utterly adorable and so incredibly kind. I now know where Karoline gets her wonderfully kind nature from. (Seriously. The girl is a saint). 

We did a lot of touristy things in the first week. We visited Holmenkollen, Tjuvholmen, Grunerløkaa, Lillestrøm and many many places that I cannot pronounce or, I'm sure, you can read. I can assure you though, they were all divine. 

Oslo Opera House 

Oslo is a weird mix of old and new....

I could have sat here forever

We wandered around Oslo, sunbathed on some docks, climbed ski jumps and spent a day at Tusenfryd, a theme park which had some crazy rides and even crazier sun. God, it was warm! 
It was Haben's 25th birthday so on Saturday we hit the town and had a couple of drinks, of course. Haben and I hit up the dance floor with dance moves which were, frankly, bloody awful. But if you think that stopped us, you're wrong. I believe at one point Karoline was actually asked to 'stop her friends having so much fun'. Pfft. Whatever. 
And, readers, of courses there was time to relax. We spent a couple of days inside munching on Norwegian snacks, chilling and watching copious amounts of TV and films. It was perfect. 

Happy Birthday, Haben! 

Week Two 

Here we moved to Karo's dads place and it was time for a rooooooooad trip! 
We decided it would be nice to see a bit more of Norway to we packed up the car and off we went. Little did I know I would see landscapes that were so incredibly beautiful I will absolutely no way ever forget them. 
We drove all day. And I mean, all day. Towns gave way to mountains and snow! Snow! I live by the beach, people. The south of England does not do snow. 

Of course there were stops such as Lillehammer and Lom - where there is the most phenomenal bakery. But soon we were up in the mountains and my eyes were burning from looking so hard at everything that was around me. 
A sign telling us we were passing the highest fjord by road in the EU couldn't be resisted and so we drove up, up, up and eventually looked down on such incredible beauty. We could see for miles around, down over Geiranger (where we were to have dinner) and over the fjords. It was simply breathtaking and a sight I will never forget. 

The next day we headed to Flam where we took a train ride up into more mountains. You'd think I got sick of mountains, right? Nope. I don't think that would ever be possible. On the train, we passed tiny little huts and giant waterfalls where crazy Stevie Nicks-like women danced to hippy music, pretending to be mythical creatures. 
Note: This may be my future job. Busting slow, rhythmic dance moves on a waterfall. If I drop off the radar, you know where to find me. Head to Flam. 
But then we clambered back into the car and headed to our final destination. 
Bergen. 
We booked into our hotel and then went in search of something to eat. 

Now, I'd never heard of Bergen but apparently it's a pretty famous place. All I know is this; like everything in Norway, it's gorgeous. With ancient wooden buildings so old they're actually falling against each other, wonky and adorable, Bergen was just amazing and this was one of the most perfect evenings of my life. 
We found an absolutely darling restaurant in one of the aforementioned wonky buildings to eat in. Turns out it was a fish restaurant and oh my god was it delicious. As Karoline said the food was so good, I forgot to take a picture of it.  
Now that, my friends, is a testimony.



We then took a walk along the dock where the sun was throwing ridiculously vibrant colours over the water. And, to top it off, an old hipster guy was singing old country and Paul Simon songs with his daughter. 
I swear, I could have stood there forever and a day watching that guy singing with the sunset right behind him.

Does that sound idyllic or what?

An evening of bliss

The next day it was a little overcast but we manage to still managed to explore Bergen. We took a ride up another mountain (still not bored!) where you could see right over the city which was much bigger than I had first thought. The views were incredible and although a little overcast, was a lovely end to an absolutely incredible road trip.
And so the journey back began. 

It was a phenomenal road trip but it was wonderful to be back and to fall into bed. 

The rest of my Norwegian adventure flew past in a blur of sea food (so. much. sea food) fun and, well, Norwegian. 

All too soon I had to say good bye to my favourite girl and fly back to gloomy ol' England. The flight back was a whole other story in itself. God, it wasn't pleasant...but that's another tale.

But, at the end of the day, I had a 21st birthday present that I will never forget and Karoline, if you think I'm not coming back, you're very wrong my friend. Thank you very much for putting up with me for two weeks and showing me the time of my life. I said it many times but... I like your views, Norway. 

Leo. Whatta heart breaker. 

Special thanks to: 
Mette, Karoline's mama - Such a delight to meet and be around. She makes an absolutely crackin' creme brulee. 

HP, Karoline's papa - Who took us on the road trip and put up with my constant photo-taking.

Leo - The most adorable dog I have ever had the pleasure to throw toys for.

Karoline - Who I have nothing but love for. I hope I'm allowed back. 

Ma and Pa - Who provided the trip and who I love more than anything. 




Until next time, Readers. 
Love, laugh and adventure! 
Ha Det! 

M x 

Karoline. She knows how to wear a hat. 

The Divine Miss M

Well, Readers. A hell of a lot has happened since we last spoke (?) and I have an awful lot to blog about. Hurrah! But the first bit of business that we need to discuss is something - or someone - absolutely fabulous. Someone who is the epitomy of camp. Someone who could be described as...divine. 

It's no secret that I adore anyone who can be considered a gay icon and my friends have often said they're convinved I'm a 50 year old gay man, so when I saw Bette Midler was touring the UK on her Divine Intervention tour, I absolutely jumped at the chance to go. I managed to snatch early release tickets (thanks, 02 priorities!) for me and my sister and then began the long 6 month wait. 

Now, I know Bette Midler is wonderful. She's a bundle of energy and is showing no signs of slowing down despite being 69. It's safe to say we had pretty big expectations. Read: HUGE. 

She exceeded them.  

Coming out on the stage in a flirty pink baby doll dress, Bette is still looking amazing. And so it begins. 

Throughout the night, she switches from energetic numbers (complete with high kicks) to belting out emotional ballads at a rate of knots. I knew that Bette had a pair of lungs on her but ...wow. On albums she's amazing. In person, she's breathtaking. 

She sings a couple of songs from her new album, It's The Girls and some songs that neither my sister or I know, but as each one starts we look at eachother and nod. They're bloody good. Particularly noteworthy for me here is a cover of Leonard Cohens' Everybody Knows which, as far as I can see, she has never recorded but I wish she would. It was so beautiful, Readers. I adored it. 

Between songs she talks to the audience, cracking perfectly timed jokes with language that could, as they say, make a sailor blush.

And then, much to everyone's delight (especially mine) she comes out in full Winifred Sanderson costume and performs I Put A Spell On You from Hocus Pocus. It's no secret she's keen to do Hocus Pocus 2 and by the reaction, it would be extremely well received. Come on, Disney! Get on it!

Her extremely crude character, Soph, made an appearance dressed in a fabulous feathered number. Here, Bette waltzed across the stage telling jokes that are as old as the hills about 'her boyfriend Earnie' that are absolutely filthy. It's divine. She's been telling these jokes for 30 years or so, but they still crack the audience up and she clearly delights in their laughter. 

Another costume change brings a sequinned (hurrah!!) hot pink floor length gown and some of her biggest ballads. The Rose, From A Distance and, of course, Wind Beneath My Wings. All I can say is they were all beautiful. One that especially stood out to me was Stay which I hadn't actually heard before but has since been played on a loop. Take a listen if you have a moment. 

So to close here, I was expecting a lot from Bette. I've loved her since I was a little girl and saw her in Big Business (an absolutely cracking film. Go and watch it if you haven't already). I was hoping that I wouldn't be disappointed and I definitely was not. She stayed on stage for nearly 2 hours without any supporting act (except a fantastic band and three backing dancers - The Staggering Harlots) and she sang her freaking heart out. She's said before that she loves touring and performing and that can be seen from a mile away. She thrives on stage and it's no wonder she became so famous all those years ago; she has that thing that makes you want to watch her. She's Vaudevillian, Diva and a whole lotta Heart. 

I've always looked up to Bette because, much like Cher, she's someone who is completely herself and if you don't like it, you can lump it - they don't care. She's colour in a black and white world and she knows it. It's what she's built her career on. One doesn't name themself The Divine Miss M without believing they are, in fact, Divine. 

Personally, I think if you're still selling out world tours 40 years after starting out, there has to be a reason. Dedicated fans are only going to get you so far. Bette isn't only a singer who can belt a song out, she's an actress who can add emotion without seeming insincere - my sister and I are still unsure if she was actually getting emotional towards the end of the show or if she was acting. She can bring an audience through a show of non-stop Bette - jokes, stories, songs, dancing - and still leave them wanting more, more, more. 

It was a phenomenal show that I was glad I could share with my sister. And, in the words of Soph... 

I'll nevah forget it, ya know. 

M x 

Photograph is not my property

The Job Hunt Continues

There are a number of things that are making me slightly stressed at the moment. I can't say that my life is particularly stressed in comparison to others but there are still a couple of things which drift through my head at night. I'm going to share them with you now if you don't mind. 

1. Having £0.00

 I'm very poor. I have no money. That's stressful because when I go to the pub I can't get a round in and that's something I like doing. So that's sad.

2. Flying

I'm going to Norway next week and I haven't flown since I was 16. This ones more apprehension than stress. I used to fly quite often by myself when I was younger so I know I can do it and the rational part of my brain is telling me to stop being a bloody idiot, of course I won't get lost. But then the part of my brain that knows what I'm like keeps whispering that if there's someone who can get so lost they miss their plane, it's me. I'm hoping she's not right. 

3. Finding a bloody work placement. 

My university year is over and I found out about half an hour ago that I finished the year with a 2:1. Hurrah. Fantastic news and I must say, I'm pretty pleased. There were times this year when I was sure I was bound to fail. But no! T'was not to be and here I am. 

My course requires me to do a 40 week placement and this is proving impossible to find.

As mentioned in previous posts, I live in the middle of nowhere. The middle of nowhere is a lovely place to live; it's very calm and quiet and not a whole lot happens. So although it is a wonderful place to be, it isn't exactly the hub of PR activity. That would be London. Another fun fact? London is expensive. Now, I'm perfectly willing to move to do my placement - it's actually preferable - but to find a placement which is 40 weeks in length and pays enough so I can actually afford to live...the struggle is real, children. 

It's actually becoming a real struggle to stay positive about my whole placement issue. 

Let me run you through the process that I have gone through about 80,794 times. 

• I find a job description which - wow! - fulfils all my needs. I'm totally suitable. These jobs are usually super interesting and the companies seem perfect for me. This is exciting! What's that over there, people? It's hope! 
• I spend an age researching said company to get to know more about them, find out what kinds of things they do, what kind of people work there etc. 
• I write a cover letter. I have a number of friends who have a generic cover letter that they just enter the right name into and then send. But nope, I spend a while crafting the perfect cover letter and selling myself. How could they not want me? I tick all of the boxes. This is sure to be the one! I'm gonna get a job!
• I sent my cover letter and CV.
• I wait.
• I wait. 
• I wait. 
• [repeat]

You see, the really annoying thing about applying for internships - and I am sure that all of you who have tried to find one  share my frustrations - is that they very seldom reply. Do you know how annoying that is?!? I am fully aware the companies are extremely busy. I don't expect continuing correspondence or an in-depth analysis of why I am not suitable for the advertised job. I know many places receive a lot of applications and it's just not practical. But being on this side of it, it's so disheartening to know that every application I send off will, more than likely, never receive anything back. 

Weep. 

I have until mid-December to find an internship. I'm not entirely sure what will happen if I don't find one because apparently that has never happened before. But there's always a first time for everything and I'm starting to feel more and more that I may be that first time. Many of the people on my course have already got placements and a lot of them have actually already been there working for weeks. I'm really happy for them - and I don't say that in a completely bitter way because they're my friends and I really am very happy for them because they're not in my situation. Many of them have their dream jobs and that must be the best feeling in the world. But it's making Facebook a no-go area, with posts of people flying here and there, living the dream, #LovingLife. Alright, alright. 

I just want to be happy too, goddammit!

So, in closing, if you're reading this and think that you might fancy taking on a very desperate intern, go ahead! I'm right here! Put me out of my misery, people. 

I'll work super hard and I can make good tea and I understand computer'y things and I can use all those analytical tools and and and... 

pretty please? 

M x 

I'm Back! I Promise!... Again.

Now, hear me out. I know there have already been numerous posts where I have grovelled for forgiveness and promised that I will, once again, become a dedicated blogger. I've asked you to ignore the cobwebs, the dust balls and the groan of protest that can almost be heard as my page reluctantly loads after months of sleeping. 

This is another one of those posts. 

But this time I really really want to revive it. But I'm not going to promise that I will blog on a regular basis because I've been there before and, let's be honest, I'm not the most reliable of people. But I promise I will try!

I confess, I thought about giving up LadyMegg and I even came close to deleting her. My 'drafts' can testify to how many times I sat and tried to write a blog post, but in the end they all became the modern versions of crumpled pieces of paper thrown at the bin. They're still sat there, you know. Waiting. But none of them felt right or were not quite up to a standard that I felt could actually be published on the world wide web.  And, ultimately, I got into a bit of a slump and kept telling myself that noone wants to read my ramblings anyway. 

But I think I lost sight of why I started my blog. 

When I signed up to Blogger.com, I wondered what type of blog I should start -

I wear makeup but not so much that I could be a beauty blog. 

My fashion sense is whack, so that was out of the question. 

I don't watch enough films to be able to do a film review type'y blog. 

I adore reading but go months without reading a single book so ... nope. 

And so I came up with my 'me' blog. 

Here would be reviews, ramblings, thoughts, clothes.. whatever I wanted. Because this blog was going to be for me. I appreciate and love every single one of you who have decided to follow me (especially those who have commented because that is the best thing in the world) but this is really my little online space for my brain overflow and so I'm going to try and get back to that and actually post again. 

Hurrah! 

So, just a quick update on my life at the moment 

•  I've finished my second year of university. I can't say it was easy but it was a good year. It's given me a lot to focus on and a little bit of a wake up call. Next stop: Placement. More on this in a later post (see! There will be more. It's already planned. Stay tuned) 

• I have a very exciting couple of weeks coming up. I'm seeing Bette Midler next Saturday and then flying straight to Norway to see my #1 girl for two weeks. Excited doesn't quite cover it

• I'm still jobless, single and a little bit hopeless. It's reassuring that nothing really changes. What can I say? I'm consistent. 

So there you have it. And to finished, if any of you are still out there and reading this, I want you to know how much I appreciate it. Hullo again, old friend. 

Speak soon. 

M x 

Home is Wherever I'm With You

This week is reading week. 

That means I have a lot of work to do and a week off university to do it in. And that's all well and good, except... I've come home. 

The call of Devon was far too strong and the offer of a free lift meant that I packed my little bag and came back to Devon for the week. I was supposed to be here until Monday... and then I extended it until Wednesday... and now I'm thinking I may stay here until Saturday. The thing is, although I know I should be doing more work than I am (I'm fooling myself that my open Word document is actually being used) but the lure of Devon life is a little too much. 

And so here is my top 3 things that I love about coming home. 

You're welcome, goddammit. 

1. The Calm 

For those of you who don't know, Devon is pretty much one large field. We have farms and we have country roads and we have cows. But you can't deny that it is beautiful. It's a place where nothing really goes on and it had absolutely nothing to offer young people but a terrible bus service, but it's bloody pretty. I never really realise how busy Bournemouth is until I come back home and I don't really think that I need that slow pace of life until I'm back here. It's safe to say I am a country girl through and through and the moment I see that 'Welcome to Devon' sign, I feel myself relaxing. Clique, right? Mhm. 

If you want a takeaway here, you have all of one option. If you want to catch a bus after 5pm, you can't. If you want to go to a club, that will be a 45 minute train ride. But you can go for as many country walks as you want! Hurrah! 

It's a slow life, but who doesn't need to just slow down and breathe sometimes? 

2. The Food 

My mum was never really one to have the cupboards piled high with sweets and goodies, but since I've moved to uni she's started having little treats absolutely everywhere. And it's like she wants me to eat them all. Every day is full of 'oh there's some milky ways in the kitchen' or 'I brought you some crisps' and boy is it delightful. I'm not one who eats 24/7 or anything, but when you're being told there is a kitchen full of everything you like? Yeah, I can get into that! 

Also, evening meals. Now, I love to cook and I do a lot of it in Bournemouth. I do nearly everything from scratch and I do really enjoy it, but there's nothing like home cooking! My mum is a brilliant cook and to have meals made for you which you don't have to pay for is simply heaven. I am fully aware that I am saying the exact same thing as every other student ever, but it is so true! When you're told that the highlight of your year is going to be when you're taken food shopping, you roll your eyes and nod and think that student life isn't really like that. It is, my friends. It really is. But no matter how much you enjoy the food shop, you'll enjoy the home cooking more. 

Delicious. 

3. Of course, the parents. 

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Tis true. 

Both my mum and dad are amazing. I really don't think I have to explain why seeing my 'rents is the best thing in the world. They may nag me that I should be doing work and they may buy the hell out of me by asking if I'm going out every. single. night but you know what? I'll let them off. 

My dad is my partner in snacks. We demolish bags of crisps and watch copious amounts of tv together. It's fantastic. I have to tell him every five seconds to stop jiggling his leg up and down because it drives me crazy and he apologises like it's the first time I've said it. But it's our thing. There is nothing he wouldn't do for me and to me, he keeps the world spinning. 

And of course, I absolutely love my mum. She's an incredible woman and my inspiration (yup, I said it) but we argued a lot when I was living at home. I don't think that's uncommon. Living away has made the time that I spend with my mum that little bit extra special. I feel like I have barely seen her at all this year, what with being away the entire summer, and so being able to come home and just chill around the house is awesome. At the risk of sounding the a complete sap, even making a cup of tea for her is pretty cool. I don't know how much I miss her until I know that I'll be coming home and then I need to see her then and there and it absolutely sucks to have to wait those extra couple of days.

I know this isn't exactly a revolutionary post. I will certainly win no awards for reporting. But that's okay because I'm home and I'm enjoying every second of it.

M x