My Hometown's Under Water

My little hometown of Carlisle is currently suffering. I'm sure a lot of people will have heard about the disastrous floods of the past few days all throughout the lake district and, unfortunately, my hometown was one of those affected.

It's sad to think of somewhere I love so much, and have spent the majority of my life, being underwater and so many people I know being evacuated from their now ruined homes.

I'm a very lucky person to be able to say that all of my family were safe from it and they're homes managed to stay unaffected but, for most, they're going to be without a home at Christmas time. 

It's truly devastating to watch unfold and I hope that everyone is staying safe and well.

What I want to shine a light on though is that amongst all the bad things that have been happening throughout the whole world lately, a community can still come together to look after each other in times of need.

One of the worst parts of the floods in Carlisle is the people who are left homeless and without their belongings, clothes, hot food, beds; they have nothing but each other. But the nicest thing to witness is the way everyone comes together to help those in need. Carlisle isn't a big place but hundreds of homes have been affected and more than twice as many people but everybody has opened up their homes for those in need as well as donating essentials for those who need them. I'm proud to say that my sister is one of the people who's been helping provide hot food for the people who are currently having to live in community centres because their homes aren't safe or are still flooded.

Many local construction companies, roofing companies, carpeting companies and plenty of others are all offering their help for free in trying to fix the damage in the homes of the people who are suffering with the floods. As well as local businesses (and major chains) donating food and essentials. The local football club and their players even expressed their concerns and have given up their days next week to help everyone move things in their home and make them more livable. None of these people have to do any of this but they do it anyway, because this is there home and their community and they support each other in good and bad times.

All the emergency services have rallied together with even the army coming to help people who were stranded in their homes unable to get out because of the flood water surrounding them. My mum even told me that she saw a rescue boat from Lincolnshire there helping people. People from all around the country are doing their best to help everyone and that is something that I love. Thank you to all of these people because without them, this could've been much worse for a lot of people.

There are so many bad things that are shown on the news in the world but what's rarely shown is the good that people do when they come together in difficult times.

I'm proud to say I'm from this little city that's going through such a heartbreaking ordeal.

Please make sure you keep everyone from around the country that's been affected by the floods at a time that's supposed to be so special in your thoughts. Also, if you're anywhere near Carlisle or the Lake District area, and you're able to help or donate blankets and essential supplies, etc. to those in need then please do. Everyone needs all of your love now.

Stay safe.

Katie x

Sleeping Problems

Hello!

I have had the problem lately of frequently 'sleeping in'. Not necessarily missing anything important, or missing anything at all, because of these extra long lie-ins but it's definitely turning into a bad habit.

The feeling of not having to set an alarm for the morning is blissful! Nothing will ever beat that feeling when you can go to sleep and you don't have to count how many hours of sleep you can get before you have to wake up to go out to a class or a meeting. 

The only problem is, because I haven't been setting any alarms, I've not been waking up until the late hours of the morning... sometimes even the early hours of the afternoon. Although this sounds amazing (and is at the time) you start to realise it's a problem when you go to bed at, let's saaaay, 11pm and you. Can't. Sleep. Then you spend the next hour tossing and turning knowing you have something important that you have to be up early for. Then you spend the next hour counting how many hours of sleep you're going to get if you go to sleep at the precise minute. The next hour you spend frustrated which only makes your chances of sleep even less because you're waking yourself up more by thinking of how much you wish you could just sleep. And so it goes on, in that exact same cycle.

Even when you know you don't have anything to do the next day so it doesn't really matter how late you're up and what time you go to sleep, you stay up later either reading or on the internet, social networking, writing, something that's stopping you from sleeping. This something means that, when you do eventually get to sleep in the early hours of the morning, you wake up even later in the day and the whole thing is repeated again the next night. It never ends. 

So, when I've had to get up early the past few days I've felt like a zombified version of myself, more socially inept than normal, walking around thinking shop floors look like comfy places to sleep - what does it matter if people stare at you or you get trampled on, at least you'd be sleeping...?

It's been a tired few days, in case you can't tell, and yet once again, I'm sitting writing this post and watching countless YouTube videos at the same time and it's nearly half-eleven at night, so the chances of me going to sleep anytime soon are slim. I need help!

Katie x