Claythorpe Watermill

I went on an adventure with Dean this weekend and adventuring we did! It was my first time visiting Claythorpe Watermill and immediately I fell in love with the place, it's beautiful... even in the dreary weather.

As soon as we entered the grounds we had ten thousand chickens and roosters crowing and wandering around our feet. I don't know about you but I love these guys, they're so adorable and full of character. I took tons of photographs that day with my Pentax SLR and Instax 210, using my mobile for general other photographs.

Claythorpe Watermill is home to a range of small animals from marmosets and chipmunks to a lovely little red squirrel. It was entertaining enough in itself just to watch Dean react to the marmosets to be honest! He was pretty much besotted with them and I was a little bit worried I'd find them hidden in his coat on the drive home. We went through to the Wildfowl Garden and fed the ducks, black swan and the incredibly inquisitive crane. There were some absolutely gorgeous birds in there and it was nice to see them all just waddling around, quite contently. I wish I had taken a look at what the breeds were but I was far too distracted at the time by their adorable little faces and waddling feet.

There's a family of otters as well that came down to peer at us through the fencing after a while - they really do make the cutest noises! I love how it took one of them to get the courage to curiously come closer before they all then trotted along after one another.

Claythorpe Mill is such a lovely little place, I really do love it. The staff were so friendly and welcoming, the food was fantastic and the animals and birds were adorable - and well looked after! I really can't wait to go back in the Summer when it's a bit warmer. It would also make for a lovely family day out as well with the huge play area across the road (believe me, if it hadn't been raining, I would've been frolicking through it quite contently).

We went for a walk afterwards and strolled past a line of about 12 tractors, the drivers of which all saying hello. Everyone was so friendly! Following little signs we made our way across fields, over bridges and through tons of mud, feeling like little Hobbits going on an adventure the whole way. I'm proud that we didn't get lost to be honest! My sense of direction is atrocious but we made it back to the car eventually (after being pelted in the face by hailstones that is). I don't know what happened to Spring but it was bloody cold on Sunday, that's for sure!

Photography

Photography has always been something that has interested me. I studied it at college and absolutely loved the film side of it. There was just something so exciting about the whole process!

Developing your own film was of course highly nerve wracking - I mean if you did one little thing wrong then that's it, you've ruined the whole roll of film that you had just shot. It always filled me with dread turning those lights off and being plunged into absolute darkness whilst trying to blindly put everything where it was supposed to be. Luckily all of mine turned out well though - I think I would've had a minor meltdown if they hadn't!

The thing I loved most was being in the darkroom. It's one of the few things I actually miss from college. Just being able to experiment and manipulate the negatives to get all sorts of effects was exciting in itself and then seeing your photographs appear on the paper slowly before your eyes was fantastic. Trying to figure out which aperture would be best to use, how long to expose it for, which effect worked well with the subject, how to manipulate the image after it was dry and looking wonderful - I miss it all.

I find myself less inclined to use my Diana Mini because the results just aren't fantastic. It's just not the same when you can't print your own photographs - they end up looking lackluster and undefined. I would love to have my own darkroom. If I had my own house and the space this would definitely be something that I would invest in!

I can dream huh!

Pentax 35mm SLR

Heaven

Today the weather was so beautiful. Seriously, it's not even technically Spring yet and I was able to wear a strappy dress without a cardigan - it was heaven!

'An Ice Lolly?! Are you mad?' I hear you yell - Yes! It was actually warm enough for ice lollies, that in itself is a sign of a good day!

Becki and I decided to go for a walk. A two and a half hour walk. A walk that my legs are now paying for. Wow I'm unfit. It was so lovely though. We walked down South Sea Lane and then through Thorpe Park and down the beach. It was brilliant to see everybody out and about - a little bit of sunshine and the whole of Cleethorpes and Grimsby come out to play.

I mentioned in one of my previous posts that I hate getting my cameras out in public so I tried to embrace my cameras today and although it was still hard not to feel just a little bit pretentious and a little hipster-like I did it and I really like the results. Note to self, try to stop caring about what others think.

I took both my Instax and Polaroid cameras with me (though this eventually murdered my back) and I did take plenty of photographs. The first few polaroids didn't exactly turn out to plan but I've emailed Impossible about that one to try and figure out what went wrong - maybe it's just how unpredictable the film is, it just seemed weird that it was only the first few shots that developed so badly and well... purple.

I will eventually post both the Instax and Polaroids on here though I can't promise when exactly.

The Small Things

I've fallen in love with music again over the past few months. The Used's new album looks like it is going to be truly amazing and I've preordered American Author's album also... the latter is just one of those albums that's wonderfully fun, you can't help but be happy listening to it.

Six of the songs have already been released and driving home from Leeds in the bright sunshine, sunglasses on with the American Authors and The Airborne Toxic Event blasting out was wonderful. It's the small things after all.

I've also recently fallen in love with the song below.




I want to be creative again. I am determined to get more use out of my cameras this year. I don't want to be afraid of pulling out my camera, I just want it to be second nature without feeling self-conscious. It may sound silly but sometimes I just feel like a tit. I may not be the most imaginative photographer and it even pains me greatly to experiment with destructive manipulations but it's something I enjoy and where is the harm in that?

I have plans, things to look forward to; no one but me can stop 2014 from being a fantastic year and I honestly plan to make the most of it!

-

Just to clarify, this will be the permanent new name of this blog; 'Quinly' is no long affiliated with me, I have nothing to do with that blog or it's content.

Fresh Start

Sharpen up your teeth
Your dreams are more than worth defending
In a fight that's never ending
Go on, go ahead and prove me wrong

Finally. Finally I want to write again.

I hate those months, the ones where I just can't find the energy or the inspiration. It's finally hit me though and I've been delving into a new piece of fiction, one that I'm handwriting first before then typing up. I'm finding this way a lot easier as it gives me the chance to review slightly without being tempted to get too involved in editing at this stage - and well, any excuse to just type without having to really think about it works for me. I love touch-typing. I just absolutely love it. I find it quite relaxing and would quite happily enjoy endlessly typing from a piece of paper.

Admittedly the time that I find it best to write at is at two in the morning which is unfortunate for my sleeping pattern and anyone that has to deal with me the following day.

Life has been quite busy recently. Well busier than I'm used to anyway. 2014 is looking like it's going to be a fantastic year though with so many exciting things going on; my 21st, best friend's baby boy will be arriving in a few months, Russell Howard, Asylum 12, a potential holiday. I can't wait.
 

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New Year

It's a new year! It's a fresh start! I've seen that many people saying that they're sick of seeing everyone saying 'new year, new me' etc, but where's the harm in that? Where is the harm in treating the new year as a fresh start - especially if you had a particularly rotten year in 2013. If people want to make new years resolutions let them, who are you to stop them?

I started a new job yesterday so it really is a fresh start for me this year. It's all so exciting right now though it's also a lot to take in; lots of things to learn, not much time to do it in. In a way none of it feels too real right now, it doesn't particularly feel like I have left Primark after how long I had been there for. Exciting times ahead anyway.

Goodbye Primark. Hello World!  

I wanted to get a quick post out. A lot has happened since I last posted, from Donna Nook adventures (the above image) to the small deal that is Christmas, and I really need to get back into the swing of things; maybe even break from the norm.


Currently watching: Battlestar Galactica
Currently looking forward to: Asylum 12
Currently in my car: The Used - Artwork

October

[1] TK Maxx Notebook   [2] Makeup   [3] A Game Of Thrones

I feel like I haven't relaxed for the past few weeks. It has been really good though, it's kept my mind preoccupied which is what I need as Winter rolls in. I just absolutely hate these months; the dark nights and the bitter weather just aren't enjoyable for me.

I know I go on about it tons but NaNoWriMo is just around the corner yet again. It was a really enjoyable (and slightly stressful) experience last year so I think I'll give it a go again. The whole experience helped me so much to be honest; I'm terrible with sticking to just one piece of writing. I often dabble in several pieces and lose track of them but NaNo forced me to focus on just one piece and the fact that it was a huge collection of people doing it was great. To be honest I haven't been in one of my writing moods in a while - I suppose it's because I've been on my laptop a lot less these past few months compared to before. I want to get back to writing by hand anyway, I'll be less tempted to edit as I go along then and to be honest it's just something I miss doing. From where I'm sat now I can see all of the notebooks that I filled as a teenager but if you go through the newer ones everything is so sporadic as I would just end up typing most of it straight into word. I'm learning to pace myself as well instead of rushing everything and just word vomiting everywhere; one of my biggest problems is time lapsing. 

Recently I've been delving into books a lot more, reading more than I had done in the past year combined. It's taken me a while but I've nearly finished 'A Game Of Thrones' as well; I have sixty pages left and after that I think I'm just going to concentrate on writing for a bit before getting into another book.

 [1] Gifts   [2] Inks - Harley Quinn   [3] Cuddles

[4] Cheesecake Trips   [5] Once Upon A Time   [6] Tow Trucks

I couldn't have asked for better friends this past month; they've been there for me a lot more than I could have hoped for. Seriously, these ladies even bought me little presents to cheer me up, their selflessness just amazes me - I don't know what I would do without them now. I was also taken to Once Upon A Time, a little cheese cake place in Laceby which I highly recommend to anyone with a sweet tooth. It was such a nice day just gorging on delicious food and then being a big kid again on seesaws, I hadn't laughed that much in a long time.

'All I can think is that it must be a kind of Rebellion,
To arm your fears like soldiers and slay them.'

In the evening three of us had decided to take a trip to Nocton to try and find the old abandoned hospital/asylum - why we thought that would be a good idea I have no idea. Just before we were about to give up and head home we took a turn that would lead to a residential home to the left and down a tiny road (if you could even call it that) to the right. So of course we went right, all the while I was terrified. Thick bushes surrounded us either side and there were absolute no lights at all except for my full beams to guide the way... and then we came to a large gate covered in signs. And then my car broke down. 

The timing was just terrible, absolutely terrible. As soon as the gate came into view my clutch flopped and juddered, my brake went and we rolled to a very slow stop as the car died. At this point I'm proud to say that I didn't just break down myself considering I'm not very good in stressful situations - nope, instead I just got angry, very angry. It went something along the lines of 'I FUCKING TOLD THEM SOMETHING WAS WRONG! I TOLD THEM! AND THEY SAID I WAS IMAGINING IT! THIS IS WHAT I DIDN'T WANT TO HAPPEN, I FUCKING TOLD THEM.' Cue a panicked phone call to my sister asking what to do and then the most terrifying walk of my life. If that road was bad enough driving down it was even worse with just a tiny little torch and my phone torch. I have never gripped someone's hand so tight. This is why I don't watch horror films, I'm too paranoid for that kind of thing. Finally we came to the fork in the road and headed for the residential home just so that we could have some light at least and not have to worry about being alone. I tried ringing my breakdown cover twice at this point but it cut off mid-conversation both times - fun thing about Nocton, the signals terrible. Whilst I was having fun with that an elderly man was opening the locked door with a spoon for us... yep, a spoon. The careworkers face when she saw us and asked how we got in was a picture that's for sure. I couldn't get through on their phone either though so back onto the street it was. 

It was an adventure at least. Eventually the tow truck came - you could hear the thing coming a mile off, I bet the residents loved us! The guy was lovely though and skillfully managed to back the truck all the way down the tiny road to get to my car. I have a new clutch finally at least, it's just a shame I had to break down where I did. My car has never run so smoothly now. 

[1] Noah   [2] Mikel, Anna, Steven   [3] Anna

The following day Becki and I went to see The Airborne Toxic Event in Leeds. We queued at the wrong doors for almost an hour (thus leading to everyone else queuing at the wrong doors as well) but thankfully we were still right at the front. And when I say right at the front I mean I was actually leaning against the stage - which may I add was really handy considering we put our bags on it as well. The support act was The Drowning Men; they were pretty damn good and wonderfully hairy. TATE themselves were fantastic as always. Seriously the atmosphere was just brilliant and we had Noah in front of us for the entire gig which was beautiful... it was even better when he came to the edge of the stage and nearly knocked me out with his bass he got that close. I love seeing bands live, there is nothing better than that euphoric feeling. I managed to get tons of decent photographs and videos but none of Daren, unfortunately his drum kit was just too far back and the lighting wasn't good enough. Still, the vibe was absolutely fantastic. A little bit gutted that they didn't actually play more songs off of the new album, 'Bride and Groom' would've been a fun one but never mind, I'm sure there was a reason for that. Hopefully we won't have to wait another two years until they come back to the UK!

Oh and not to forget Jason Manford, he was absolutely fantastic also. I didn't know what to expect to be honest and I'm glad that I didn't watch any of his stand up before we went to see him. The tickets had originally been a gift to our parents but they weren't able to go in the end - we truly did feel guilty enjoying it so much!

Next it is Imagine Dragons and then Panic! At The Disco. The latter I've been waiting for since I was about fourteen years old.

'Deep within dwells the creature.'

September

[1] Game of Thrones   [2] NaNoWriMo   [3] Jam Drops

It's almost that time of year again when I shut everything out and try and get 50,000 words out in a month. I thought I would actually be more prepared this time around and purchased Ready. Set. Novel! a while ago. I thought I would get bored of it if I'm going to be honest but the quirky little exercises have managed to keep my attention so far. It really is helping me to delve a lot deeper and flesh out scenarios that I wouldn't have bothered with before. Looking forward to, though also slightly dreading, NaNoWriMo this year - we'll just have to see how it goes. At least it'll keep me busy.

I finally got around to making Jam Drops last week! Finally! Ever since I saw Retro Mummy's recipe it's something I've been meaning to get around to. Mine might not have ended up as perfectly shaped as her's but they still tasted damn good; they barely lasted 48 hours in this house so I'll take that as a good sign. Thinking about making Brownie Cookies this afternoon, they looked bloody good last time, it's a shame I didn't get one.

'Some chick actually got you off hunting, huh? That's one rare creature. How did you meet this unicorn? You fell in love with a unicorn. It was beautiful, then sad, then sadder. I laughed, I cried, I puked in my mouth a little. And honestly, I kind of get it. Go. Save your brother... and my unicorn.' - Meg Masters

[1] ArdentArgent   [2] Halloween   [3] Castiel

I finally found a replacement ring that I absolutely love thanks to Etsy. It says 'HEY ASS BUTT!' on the inside - definitely perfect. I can't recommend this seller enough; considering all of the rings are made to order I still received it way before the estimated delivery date and it's such good quality. It would be nice to have Cas watching over me but I suppose this'll have to do until I find my Unicorn.

And on that note I really hope Meg comes back in Season 9. I would like to think she is in Purgatory just living it up with Benny, that would be a crazy friendship. Though my love of Meg is always then tainted by the fact that she was the one that killed Jo and Ellen. But then you have to look at the fact that she actually applied for the Nurse job to look after Cas - she was the only one that actually had patience with him as well. He saw her in her truest form and didn't care. Fangirling over.

I was torn between being Abaddon or Harley Quinn for Halloween but I finally decided on the latter. I can't wait. I've bought the costume and played around with makeup, I just can't wait. Any excuse for fancy dress and I'm in. Abaddon would have been fun to do but it was just too much faffing around with makeup... plus the top she wears I could only find for £20 so that wasn't going to happen; I refuse to spend that on a top that I'll only wear to cosplay her and cover in fake blood. I've wanted this Harley costume for an incredibly long time as well so I guess it did make sense to just go with that one seeing as I could actually kind of afford it right now.

I think Boondock Saints is what I need right now - a bit of Sean Patrick Flanery, Billy Connolly and Norman Reedus always manages to cheer me up.

Big Kids

I'm currently panicking about an interview so I'm distracting myself with this instead. It's about time I posted again anyway. I would like to say I've been super busy over the past month but that would be a lie. I've barely had any overtime which has just been depressing as I'm trying to save as much as I can right now for Asylum 12 so for the most part I've been trying to resist buying rubbish (with the exception of Alton Towers, I put money aside for that). I'm a impulse buyer which is why my room is filled with so many trinkets and jewelry - I think I need to get on Ebay and start selling bits and bobs.

Went to Alton Towers with Amy and Toria on Tuesday. She had tickets for £10 each so it was such a cheap day out - any more money and I wouldn't have been willing to pay! It was such a fantastic day if you forget the few mishaps - ripped tights, lost sunglasses, a broken Iphone - I would definitely have loved to do another day of it. First time I've driven far on the motorway as well so I'm proud that I didn't panic too much!

I actually went on Nemesis and Air as well! Nemesis I may have screamed my lungs out all the way around on and Toria just laughed at me the whole time. I was shaking when I got off. Air however was fantastic, laughing the whole way around, I love that ride!

We had one voucher left on the fourphotographs for £25 card at the end of the day so we decided to go on The Flume again... I may have also suggested we buy props. We were wetting ourselves laughing. We got absolutely soaked just in time for the car ride home but it was so worth it. I just hope the people queuing didn't think we were mental when we went down the last drop with our swords lifted (not to mention the poor girl on the security cameras watching as we practiced on the first drop... We are adults, we swear...

Excitable!

[1] Watermelon   [2] Beach days   [3] Sunbathing

I'm absolutely loving this weather! I'm definitely happiest when it's beautiful and hot outside. It's been nice just being able to enjoy it to be honest - though my bank account won't be as happy come payday. And considering I've been sunbathing for what, two weeks straight? I've barely got a tan just very sore legs instead. Cleethorpes really is wonderful in this weather.

My original plan this month was to take part in Camp NaNoWriMo but that sort of belly-flopped after a couple of days. I managed 1,183 words and then just kind of fell headfirst into a fanfiction I had been writing. This is where Becki would slap me and tell me that I need to finish Ripper first but you know, sometimes you just have to give in to your obsessions. In the time that I haven't been dabbling in writing I really just have been spending as much time as I can outside. 'Outside?!' I here you scream, I know - I think I've spent more time outside this year than I have in the past five years combined.

In June and the beginning of July I bought myself two disposable cameras and thought I'd take part in the Indisposable Concept. The idea is to take photographs over the period of a week of the world around you and what is important to you. And well, if it involves film I'm sold to be honest so I had a go and it was fun.

 

I've got so much to actually look forward to this autumn/winter which I'm glad for. I hate the cold months, they always leave me feeling so down but now I have tickets to see two of my favourite bands which is fantastic. Seeing The Airborne Toxic Event and Jason Manford in October and then Imagine Dragons and Panic! At The Disco in November and Russell Howard at the beginning of 2014. I'm so excited it's unbelievable. Especially for Panic; I've been fangirling over them for God knows how many years. I'll even whip out the ancient band fanfiction I have from when I was like 13, 14 years old if you ask really nicely - it's moments like this that I realise how much of a hardcore teenager I was...


Currently watching: Re-watching Firefly
Currently looking forward to: The how-ever-many-of days of sunshine we have left
Currently in my car: A wonderful mixed CD

Sunshine!

[1] Uglies - Scott Westerfeld   [2] Lunch dates   [3] The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien

I've been reading quite a bit recently. I finally finished The Hobbit sometime at the beginning of the month. It was a good book and I understand that it is essentially a kids book but [spoiler] you would've thought there would've been a bit more emotion when a couple of the characters died... and the Battle of Five Armies could've been written a bit more indepth. I guess I was expecting too much even though I knew what it essentially was. It's like the first Harry Potter book, it's clearly written for children but the rest of the books seem to mature. Maybe I'm rambling gobbledegoop right now, who knows. 

I started Uglies by Scott Westerfeld on Monday and finished it today. Again it was an okay book that took me until the meeting of Shay to get into. It was an easy read and quite predictable at times. I did like Westerfeld's future that he'd created though; the way that the Rusties had basically killed themselves off was cleverly done and believable however I couldn't find myself believing the romance at all - it was just too convenient. Maybe I'm just cynical but it was just a bit... weird. That's the only word that I can think of to describe it without giving too much away. I'll be reading the sequels at some point but I don't think I'll be rushing out to buy them tomorrow even though I am curious of what is to happen. I've got enough books to read as it is right now so one day I may buy Pretties and Specials but probably not anytime soon.

Definitely glad to be having more time off of my laptop and the sun has been shining the past few days so it's been nice just laying in the garden reading. 

[1] Hookah Pipe   [2] Applebys   [3] Sunshine!

Becki and I were saying to mum the other week how she's never actually had the water pipe out that we bought her for Christmas from Turkey - keep in mind how much she had said that she had wanted one so we snuck around and bought one whilst on holiday... that was two years ago. It was finally brought out at our nagging and we immediately broke it. Typical. Dad managed to get it back together after forty minutes of angry grunts whilst poking it with pliers. I'm glad that we have finally used it though. The tobacco free stuff we had smelt absolutely awful when we first got it out - keep in mind that it had been in the wardrobe for two years - but it smelt a little bit better when we put it in the little dish and it tasted alright so that's what matters I suppose! It was a fun experience though and nice to just chat around the table having a play with it after Sunday tea. Don't worry, we did have the door open right next to the table... we're not that silly.

The first day I proper sunshine I personally witnessed was the day Amy, Toria and I went to Applebys. It was absolutely gorgeous and well, nothing beats a girly chat, sunshine and the best mint choc chip icecream in the area. I would say the UK but I'd probably be lying... 

Currently watching: The Lord of The Rings
Currently looking forward to: Camp NaNoWriMo
Currently in my car: Fall Out Boy - Save Rock and Roll

Passion

We're six months into the year already and it's only just beginning to warm up. I wish Summer lasted longer, I hate the cold dreary weather and how it's dark at 5pm - it's just truly miserable and it makes me miserable in effect.

I want to start setting myself a daily word goal - one where it doesn't matter if it's fiction, a blog or a rant that I'm writing about. I need to set myself targets and then improve on them weekly and try and get myself into the habit of writing everyday even on those days that I'm fighting against a blockade. I want to focus on reading more and actually writing in notebooks again - sure it's a nightmare when it comes to editing but even if I just set a notebook aside specifically for 'Ripper' I'll get more out. I have ideas but right now they don't want to make that leap onto the screen. Also I need to overcome my fear of writing in front of others - if I'm in the mood just whip out a notebook whilst on lunch at work, why waste time that I could be jotting down, even if it's just notes of what is in my head.

I feel like I've passed the point of being able to write about my birthday. Dale took me away in short, the hotel was absolutely stunning and we had a lovely few days. I had the photographs developed a couple of days ago; using film will never grow old, I absolutely love it. I do wish I still had the use of a dark room though.

Regress

'That's how it is on this bitch of an Earth.' 

Samuel Beckett

I don't really know where to start; I know what I want to write but I feel discouraged. Though really, who reads this anyway? For sure, I'm not certain - all I have is statistics not names.

I feel tired. Tired of my job, of what I'm doing with myself, of my appearance, of people. I'm in one of those mindsets were I just want to sit down and drown myself in fictional writings but I can't - I don't seem to have the time nor the effort to actually do it. The last couple of days I have written ten thousand words for some little fun piece but now I can't bring myself to carry on even though I was addicted two days ago. I'm ill and it's just sucking the life out of me even more than usual. Tonight I got home with the intention of writing but time has just flown by and now I know I need to sleep soon if I'm going to be remotely anything like a nice person in the morning.

This was going to be all about my birthday and such things that have happened but I'm knackered now that it's come to it! I'm miserable and feeling sorry for myself so it can wait.

Currently watching: The Boondock Saints
Currently looking forward to: Payday... which is tomorrow! Yes!
Currently in my car: Green Day - International Superhits!, Green Day - American Idiot, Panic! At The Disco - A Fever You Can't Sweat Out. Currently trying to trick myself into thinking I'm not 20 but 13 again!

April

The past couple of weeks haven't been too exciting. I've been working on and off mostly whilst fangirling, sleeping and writing in any spare time that I have had. I'm just looking forward to the upcoming weeks and everything that is planned for them, it should keep me busy for the most part! At least the weather is finally warming up in England - I've actually been able to put away my thick scarf though I probably shouldn't speak too soon.

I feel like a cat recently, I just want to sleep all of the time. Haven't been feeling fantastic recently but I've had some wonderful people to chat to, distracting me with their crazy conversations. Started to get back into healthy eating again now though - it's only taken since Christmas for me to get my act together! I had been feeling absolutely rubbish and Becki suggested it could be a lack of iron in my diet. Being vegetarian I tend not to get it as regularly as others do and especially since the kitchen was being done and we had no cooker or hob I was just eating crap really. Feeling better already now though - I'd forgotten how much I love pistachios as well, it's just a shame how expensive they can be.

[1] Squirrel   [2] HairynScary   [3] Love Bird

Whipped out my sketch book and (literally) dusted it off last week. It felt so good getting my inks out and playing again. That's one of the things I've missed about college, just experimenting. I finally played with the set that Dale got me Christmas and had a go with the silver and gold. Winsor & Newton make such fantastic inks, I love them and can't fault them at all. I'm really proud of the squirrel, the love bird not so much but I still like it. I may have also given in to buying another one of Jake Schroeder's prints on Etsy called 'Sweet View 4.0'. It goes with my previous hot air balloon purchase from him and I just loved that one so much that I just couldn't resist. This ones smaller so I think they'll look quite nice on the wall together.

Currently watching: The Walking Dead
Currently looking forward to: Dale's Nanna's wedding, my birthday, BBQs
Currently in my car: Two Biffy Clyro albums and the following mixed CD;

Adventure Time - BriBry
I Knew You Were Trouble - Taylor Swift
Gasoline - The Airborne Toxic Event
Little Talks - Of Monsters and Men
Born On A Horse - Biffy Clyro
My Moves Are White (White Hot, That Is) - Cobra Starship
The City Is At War - Cobra Starship
Safe & Sound - Taylor Swift
Somebody That I Used To Know - Gotye
Move Along - The All-American Rejects
I Know What I Am - Band of Skulls
Backstabber - The Dresden Dolls
Many Of Horror - Biffy Clyro

Adventures

I've really enjoyed the past week, I feel like I've actually made the most of my time off and I've enjoyed every moment of it. I may have nearly spent my whole pay check in a week but still, it was worth it (though I'm sure that I won't be saying that in a weeks time when I'm desperate for money).

 Me, Amy, Toria and Connie (Amy's photograph)

On the Friday evening Dale and I went to Coningsby to see his Nanna, have a meal and stay the night. It was nice. Saturday night I went out with Amy, Toria and Connie and it was honestly one of the best night's out that I've had. There was zero drama and we just had fun; I do love those girls.

On the Monday Becki, Kayleigh and I drove down to Manchester to see Biffy Clyro at Manchester Arena. They were brilliant, there's no doubt about that and the set was pretty cool too. It's the first time I was in standing in a crowd that size and honestly it was pretty daunting to begin with but I really enjoyed it. Being small sucked though, sometimes there were just a few too many heads in the way. I would love to see them live again sometime.

[1]  Hobbits   [2]  Kermit   [3]  Paperchase

Where we stayed was literally a five minute walk from everything which was pretty good. It may have not been a five star hotel but it was okay for the night so I was fairly happy. We went in Selfridges and Harvey Nichols and oh dear God I have never felt so out of place in a store before. And well they were the last clothing stores that we went in the next were the Lego shop, Disney Store and Paperchase - we have our priorities right. I now have Mr Frodo and Mr Bilbo Baggins to accompany me on adventures. I bought Alice In Wonderland (animated) and Mulan on DVD from the Disney Store as well as a Kermit the frog mug - I really do love my massive Disney mugs. Becki bought a linen spray called 'Wonder' and it really does smell fantastic. And then of course there was Paperchase - I've never seen one as big as the one in Manchester, it was fantastic. I bought quite a few bits and it only came to £12 which wasn't too bad.

Dale and I went to Hull on Thursday and went to The Deep. It was better than I was anticipating and I have to admit that the Jelly Fish were my favourite - I just find them so interesting and strange. I can imagine it being packed with even more kids this week so I'm glad Dale had last week off and not next week. I do love fish!

CCbox 9

I never have a bad thing to say about CrafyCreatives and this months box theme of 'Steampunk' was just brilliant. As always the box included tons of goodies with my favourites being the kit to make the trinket box, the brown tweed fabric (which I'm itching to have a play with) and the tiny watch parts.

Below is my trinket box which I've been having a go at today. It may not be perfect but I really enjoyed making it which I suppose is the main goal. I used the reel of wire that was included in the box and made a hot air balloon (however it seems to look more like an exclamation mark but nevermind!) and then added the tiny watch parts and the chain to the balloon to decorate it a little bit. It's simple but I like it! I did have a play with the metallic transfer foils and cogs but I haven't quite got the hang of that one yet.

I can't wait to start getting creative with the fabrics - I need to buy some stuffing first however, something which I keep forgetting to do. Admittedly my bedroom hasn't really got the space to be storing millions of CCboxes but I'll find somewhere to keep them (that isn't beside my bed) soon. What I would really love is a desk that I could keep all of my art bits in/around. The calligraphy set that I received from Dale for Christmas hasn't had a chance to come out yet for lack of space - I just don't particularly fancy using my dressing table as a desk, there's already enough on it. This is when I miss the study that is now a spare bedroom.

I forgot to mention that we dressed up at work for Comic Relief. It definitely does make the day go a little bit better - especially when a little girl gasps with wide eyes as she sees your sword. It was a really good day and everyone joined in with half of us ending up being pirates and the other half being animals. Any excuse to dress up and we're there. 

Which brings me to the Rocky Horror Show. Becki, Zoe and I went to see it at Grimsby Auditorium on Monday night and it was just so bloody good. I didn't quite know what to expect from the stage show but it was fantastic and done so well. Frank N Furter was cast so well - I was not disappointed - and the way that they did the bedroom scenes with Brad, Janet and Frank N Furter was very clever.

It was brilliant how the majority of the audience really got into it with dressing up and dancing and yelling things out. That's one of the great things about Rocky Horror, how much the audience participates. We dressed up but didn't go over the top - just a corset, shorts, fishnets (or just tights in my case) and pearls. There were some brilliants Frank N Furters there though and quite a lot of Magentas that also looked fantastic. Personally for me the narrator was one of the highlights of the show though, he was just brilliant and would react to the shouts from the audience perfectly - he was hilarious.