The Christmas Tag

I've seen this tag on quite a few blogs lately and I love seeing everyone's responses so I thought why not do it myself and get into the Christmas spirit!

1.

What is your favourite Christmas movie/s?

This could be a never-ending list if I'm not careful, but I'd say my all time favourite has to be The Santa Clause; it's hilarious! When I first watched it I was probably only about four or five and my brother used to constantly tease me that he was going to go and knock Santa off the roof so that he could become him. It's one of those movies that I have to watch every Christmas time when I want to get all festive = I find the best way to do it is to have a marathon with all three movies, one after the other.

2.

Do you open your presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning?

Always on Christmas day. I've heard of the tradition of opening them on Christmas Eve but I don't know anyone who does. It wouldn't feel like Christmas day to me if we didn't spend the morning opening presents.

3.

Do you have a favourite Christmas memory?

Christmas is, and always has been, one of my favourite times of year yet I can't actually think of a specific memory. I think it's because every Christmas is as brilliant and amazing as the last! I just love that it's the one time of year that my whole family come together at my grandma's house and we always have a great day.

4.

Favourite festive food?

Pigs in blankets, without a doubt. It's the only time of year we eat them and, oh my god, what kind of Christmas dinner would it be without them?!

5.

Favourite Christmas gift?

This is going to sound really weird to anyone who doesn't know me but a Ted Baker pen that my mum got me for Christmas last year. I only ever use it when I'm writing stories and it's probably one of my most prized possessions, I can't explain how upset I'd be if I lost it.

6.

Favourite Christmas scent?

I love the smell of mulled wine and cinnamon candles that you can usually only find at Christmas time, mmm, yep, they're the best.

7.

Do you have any Christmas Eve traditions?

I don't actually think we do... My mum and I tend to snuggle up and watch a Christmas movie whilst we wait for me stepdad to finish work, does that count?

8.

What tops your tree?

Well this one depends. I normally help decorate the tree at my mum's house and at my grandma and grandad's house and then I live between the two. If we're going to go with my mum then it's been a star for the past several years. If we're going with my grandparents, my grandma always has an angel topping the tree, always. 

9.

As a kid what was the one (crazy, wild, extravagant) gift you always asked for but never received?

I honestly don't think there was one... Apart from a giraffe. Every year that would go on my list, even though I knew it would never happen - Santa was always very thoughtful though and got me something giraffe-related, whether it be a cuddly toy or clothes or something else! Other than that I don't think there was anything I asked for and every year woke up hoping and half-expecting it to be the year. I was more likely to ask for more books than Santa could carry, I did circle half the Argos catalogue after all, as well as spend my nights making a list of all the books I hoped to read!

10.

What's the best part about Christmas for you?

Definitely Christmas day with my whole family. I normally open presents with my mum on Christmas morning and then my grandad will come and pick me up just before 12 and I'll go and help my grandma set up for the rest of the family coming in the afternoon and then we spend the entire night laughing and eating. It's the best time of year for us.

I'm in the festive spirit now, I think I'm going to have to go and have a Christmas movie marathon now! 

Here are a few of my favourite Christmas tags that I've read so far:

Be Beautiful
MakeupSavvy
Chloe's Way
Peaches and Smoke

Enjoy!

Katie x

Cliftmas & Home Time!

I'm finally home!

I finished uni for Christmas last Thursday and it is definitely a welcome break. I still have work to do over the holidays but it feels good to have an official break and get home to my family. 

Friday was the official 'Last Day of Term', so there was a lot happening on campus, all known as Cliftmas! We got our picture taken with Santa, because who wouldn't? It's not like any of us are nearly twenty... It was an awesome night full of Christmas music and a hell of a lot of dancing and singing. It's safe to say, I had no voice the next morning.

I was living in an empty flat after that though and it felt really strange - I was the only one left at our uni flat out of a flat with eight people in it. It was weird not hearing other people in the flat and going into a completely empty and silent kitchen, I missed my friends too much over that weekend! Luckily one of my friends was still in the flat below me so we had a nice little dinner date and relaxed with Christmas movies for the night in our Christmassy-decorated flat.

I've eventually made it home though! I've seen all of my little ones and I've eaten lots of food, so Christmas can officially get started now!

Katie x

A Random 3am Catch-Up...

Hello!

First off, I'm getting kind of bored of that greeting... Anyone else feel the same way? Nope? Okay then. Just me.

Second of all, my foot really, really, really hurts. I tripped the other day and whatever I did it's now a not-so-beautiful array of colours - insert mental image of my pouting face and my poorly foot.

So... I haven't really decided what this blog post is about, I just really felt the need to write on this little space at 2:42am because why not?

I'm currently listening to my brothers 'Chilled Playlist' on Spotify and I'm strangely loving all of the oldies and slightly cheesy songs that are coming up; it's making me feel really home-y. It's just not having the chilled-sleep-inducing effect I was originally hoping for, instead it's making me ever so slightly nostalgic.

What else? As I mentioned, I've really hurt my foot - like a lot. I would love to tell you what I've done to it exactly but I actually have no clue. Zero. I tripped. And now it just really, freakin' hurts! (A cover of Hey Ya has just come on to my playlist (by some dude called Obadiah Parker) and it's strangely awesome...) I do have this brilliant pair of boots that I bought a couple of weeks ago from Topshop and thank god I did because they have been so good whilst I've had a sore foot - they're ankle boots but my foot hurts less when I'm wearing them; I'm sure my mum mentioned something about them being more supportive, or something like that. I can't remember entirely but they're really comfy and she told me to wear them - always take Mama's advice!

I've started dressing like an actual girl as of late too. As in, skirts and dresses and tights (which are the most awkward things to where ever. Seriously. Someone needs to make those things easier and comfier), it's quite the change for me but, not going to lie, I'm kind of liking it.

I've rekindled my love for fajitas since coming to uni. Random fact for you there.

I've also found that any and all writing inspiration seems to come to me at stupid 'o' clock in the morning, e.g. now.

I have read some incredible books lately! I definitely need to dedicate a few blog posts to them because they're the bomb.com... does anyone even say that anymore? It just came to me... 

Oooh! Another unfortunate incident of 'Katie's life' - I lost my railcard two weeks ago on my way back to my hometown after visiting my friend in Lancaster. I rang every company and station possible trying to find it and no one had it, so if the person who saw it and didn't hand it in is reading this 'You're a mean person." Yep. That's what I have to say to you. I was more unimpressed at the idea of having to pay £80 for a ticket home without my railcard. Luckily, my mum is quite the bargain hunter and found one for £25 but I didn't get into Nottingham till something like midnight. There's more though - I don't do anything by halves! I got back to uni and my key wouldn't unlock my door. So it had let me into the building, into my flat, but it wouldn't let me into my room. I was stood there like a numpty for ten minutes trying to make it work. It didn't. Of course. I had to ring security, who made me go to them so they could reset my key fob which, once I'd walked all the way back to my flat, also didn't work. I sounded like a right idiot when I had to ring security again and they had to come up and try and fix the door and let me in, with my suitcase, laptop bag, normal bag, everything at about half one in the morning. I was not impressed. They couldn't even fix it in the end, they just had to let me in and leave it at that. Like I said, I don't have the best luck in the world. 

I went to see The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 yesterday (or the day before if we're going to go on technicalities of time and all that). It was extraordinary, obviously! I might do a blog post about that at some point too - it depends how much I decide I could write about without giving anything away.

I doubt there's much else you really want to know. Then again, I doubt you even wanted to know that, but hey! You got it! 

Feel free to have a good laugh at my constant bad luck - it amuses my family (and friends - definitely friends) no end! 

Hope everything's running as smoothly in everyone else's world as it is mine...

Katie x

The Problems With Hospitals

Hello!

I had to have an operation on my ear on Wednesday - nothing too serious, but it was still an operation. It does mean I might struggle with posts over the next few days though, so sorry if there becomes a distinct lacking of action on this little space, I'll be back on it as soon as possible!

The timing of this sucks too, I had the opportunity to go on a camping trip this weekend with Daisy Doo but had to turn it down, seen as I'm not exactly in the best state. It also means I have to miss a week of work, which sucks. Oh well! It'll all be worth it in the end!

This isn't the first time I've had this operation but it was a bit bigger this time, in hope that it would be the last time I have to have it. The one thing that always gets me every time is that I can't wash my hair for a week - it gives me the serious heeby-jeebies! I hate having gross, greasy hair... I guess it just means I won't be leaving the house for a week! 

There are so many things I hate about hospitals, here are just some of them!

1.

Food.

I cannot stand hospital food, this probably has a lot to do with the fact that I'm a majorly fussy eater - even my toast has to be cooked in a certain way if you expect me to eat it! This kind of fussiness doesn't bode well for me in hospitals though because, as most people will know, hospital food is in a constant state of sucking, yuckiness... Or is that just English hospitals?

2.

The Smell.

I bet this seems like such a silly thing to dislike about hospitals but I have a seriously strong sense of smell. I think it's because people say that when one of your senses is weaker, another is stronger; well my hearing isn't the best so I think that's why my ability to smell things is amazingly good. It comes in rather useful at times but it's not the best thing to have in a hospital - all I can ever smell is antibacterial wash and occasionally, if someone's bleeding a lot, I can smell blood too, which there is obviously quite a lot of in a hospital... Ewww. 

3.

Boredom.

There is never much to do in a hospital but sit and be nosy. If you've just come round from an anaesthetic (like I had) you don't really have the mental capacity to focus on much, so the likes of reading is out of the question (sad and extremely cry-worthy, I know). I don't know what it's like in other hospitals around the world but, you have to pay for the TV's in English hospitals - something I refuse to do - and so the only other option is to just sit (or lie) there and be bored. Bored, bored, bored.

So there's what I think of hospitals. The only thing I'm looking forward to now is a week relaxing in my bed! Lots of sweet snacks are in order and plenty of feel-good movies! 

Katie x

The Blacksmith Arms

Hello!

I've been for a delicious meal with my grandparents, before I start work today - it was scrummy!

I'm not sure if there are any observant readers out there who read the boring location bit of my blog posts but, if there are any, you will notice that they alternate a lot between Cumbria and Lockerbie; one being my mums home, the other being my grandparents. I visit them a lot in the summer holidays, so my having a job now is slightly putting that off track!

Anyway, to make up for it we went for a lovely meal (and pudding, obviously) to the Blacksmith Arms, in Talkin Tarn. It's my grandad and I's first choice of place to go if we're on a rare occasion of eating out. 

The food there is amazing. There aren't enough words in the English language to describe just how good it is, and as for the chocolate fudge cake, it makes my mouth water just at the thought of it... Mmmmm.

I did mean to take a picture of how yummy the food looks but I started eating it before I remembered - oops!

Talkin Tarn is a beautiful place and the Blacksmiths is only a few minutes away from it. It's super scenic and there are oodles of different walking trails too, for the walkers out there!

It's such a stunning and charming little place that it definitely deserves a visit, especially if you don't live too far from it. Take advantage of these lovely, uncommon English summer days and go visit Talkin Tarn.

Katie x

The Unsung Luxuries

Hello!

I've been home for exactly a week now and, I must say, there are some luxuries which I have definitely missed whilst I've been at uni.

1.

Baths

Baths galore! I don't understand how someone can't love to unwind in a heavenly, hot bath, that's just crazy. I would live in the bath if that were possible... I couldn't deal with the prune-like skin though. Having only the option of showers since September has definitely given me more appreciation for my relaxing bath and book time!

2.

My Own Bed

Oh man, how I've missed my bed! I know that my bed at uni was technically 'mine' but it wasn't a double bed and it was definitely not as comfy as my luxuriously sized cushioned bed, with a big fluffy duvet that I can wrap myself in and stay happily cosy for the whole day.

3.

The Little Ones (obviously)

How could I not miss my babies like crazy? I hate missing seeing all of them grow up because it feels like everyday something new happens with them - at the minute, Daisy's favourite word is "shooooooes" - and as for the older ones, they're just getting way too clever! I should be able to answer the math's questions a nine year old poses to me - apparently not!

4.

Unlimited Food Supplies

I will never take food for granted again! At home, food is limitless (to a certain extent, anyway). If I want extra cheese, I can just go get it. Or if I fancy a yoghurt, I can go get that too! At uni I couldn't have that extra cheese because, much to my horror, cheese costs a hell of a lot of money when it's not your parents paying for it! Also, I don't have to wash the dishes every night because I'm rarely the only one eating, yippee!

5.

The Laundry Problems

I no longer have those horrible problems of "I don't want to pay £2 just to wash a jumper" because there tends to be enough laundry in our house to make a full load and I don't have to pay £2 every time I have to do it, which means I can where my favourite jumper whenever I want!

At least I can say I fully appreciate the unsung and unappreciated luxuries now!

Katie x