First Swim Of The Summer

There’s nothing quite like the first swim of the summer, the excitement that it’s finally getting hot, the anticipation of what’s to come during summer and the slight feeling of apprehension at jumping into cold water.

Today I had my first swim of the summer. I went up to the local dam and after a few minutes of sunning up, we headed over to the jetty. 

Even though the day was like 27 degrees when we got to the end of the jetty I was that maybe this was a bad idea. But it was my bad idea, so before anyone else could talk me out of it I jumped.The water was cold, but surprisingly pleasant and after a lot of goading and encouragement I was joined by my friends. The rest of the afternoon was filled with tanning, swimming and great banter. Not such a bad idea after all. 

This is what I love the most about  summer. During the year everyone is so busy that it gets hard to hang out with your friends and just do something fun like go swimming and just chill. I love sneaking in a swim after work, having an impromptu bbq or going jet skiing. 

I don’t know if summer is my favourite season, but it’s defiantly my favourite time of the year, and now that I’ve had that first swim, I feel like it has finally begun. 

How To Not Netflix Your Way Through The Holidays | Blogmas Day Nine

Speaking as someone who is currently finishing their second gap year (don't worry I'm starting uni next year!), I'm used to having a lot of free time. 

Many of you will be starting holidays soon, or already have and are wondering what you'll do to fill your time. 

I urge you to not fill it with netflix. It's addictive and often prevents creativity and stops you from being a motivated person. I know I have wasted many a hour on netflix and I always like myself better when I'm not watching tv all day.

Let's put it this way, after binge watching a tv series I never feel accomplish. I normally feel slightly guilty and weirdly tired. So here are some suggestions on how to avoid sitting and watching TV all day. 

Set an alarm

I know it's tempting to make your bed your best friend, but try not to sleep in to eleven. If your not a morning person I suggest setting your alarm for 8:30 or 9am.

Read

Reading is great for when you're feeling lazy. It is much more engaging than tv and you'll feel much more accomplished when you finish a book than when you finish a series. 

Make Social Plans 

Get out of the house! Make plans with your friends to go for a walk, go shopping or grab a coffee, just anything that is social and requires you to leave the house. I'm sure some of your friends will be looking for an excuse to get out as well! 

Start a creative project

This could be art, blogging, writing, craft or baking. It doesn't have to be a big project, just something to keep you occupied during the day. 

Exercise

I have a gym membership and I do use it, but I also like to go for walks. Be creative with how you exercise, mix it up and have fun. Take a class or go for a hike with some mates. Do something you will be motivated to achieve.

Set specific TV times

I like to try and make it so I can't watch tv until at least five O'clock or after dinner, depending on the day. This means that I only watch tv when I'm genuinely tired and have already had a productive day. I'm not time wasting and it's not stopping me from doing other things. 

Learn a new skill

Is there something you've wanted to learn how to do for a while but have been to busy to do so? Well now's your chance, go and do it! You won't regret it, I promise! 

Travel

You don't even need much money to travel around. If you can afford it, go to another county that has captured your heart. If your on a budget, road trip somewhere, I promise you there is somewhere nearby you haven't been to before. There are so many places in Tasmania only a couple of hours away that look amazing and yet I've never been to them. Explore the world, you don't have to go far to do it!

I suppose, when it comes down to it, there is just so many cooler more memorable things to do with your free time. There is a time and place for it, just try not to make it your whole day and you'll be happier for it.

The key is just to keep busy and enjoy yourself, use this time wisely and make memories.

 Tell me in the comments what you like to do to keep busy during the holidays. xx

Reading Festival

 MmmmKay. So I haven't really posted in a while. I've been to busy going to music festivals, chilling in London and cruising around Scotland, but not like on an actual cruise if ya know what I mean. Anyway so at the end of August I left my pub job in Oxford so I could go travelling with my brother Michael. The first stop was Reading Festival. We both love the Libertines and couldn't resist the opportunity to see them live. To make it even better I also got to see the Mini Mansions rocking out in their fantastic suits, unfortunately their set got cut a little short but they were great to watch. We also saw Kendrick Lamar and Jamie T on the main stage and two relatively unknown bands called Spring King and Gengahr who were both pretty cool.

But my fave had to be the Lib's. It was amazing to see such an infamous band and to hear songs like 'I get along' and 'Don't look back into the sun' live. Michael and I have watched so many of their performances on youtube so it was insane to finally see Pete and Carl live whilst standing in the middle of a flare dotted crowd. 

The songs I heard at Reading are now filled with memories and they are just so much more precious to me and I think this is why it is so great to go and hear music live. 

Who have you seen live? xx

A Little Update and End of Summer Tunes

Hello lovelies!
SO this is my last week of work in Oxford and then I am going to Scotland, France and Italy for a little adventure/holiday! I will be sharing my adventure here, so make sure you keep your eyes peeled! 
I've been living in Oxford for a bit over four months now and have loved it so much. I've made so many great friends and have learnt a lot. I feel like I've grown up so much over the last four months and even though this chapter of my life is coming to a close, I'm really excited to travel and go home and see all my fav's again.
ANYWAY I'll have more to say about my experience later but for now I just wanted to give you a little update!

ALSO here's a playlist of some of the tunes I've been loving lately, lots of them are from the Paper Towns soundtrack which is undoubtable one of my favourite purchases of the last few weeks. I really enjoyed the movie, especially all the banter. Classic John Green! Anyway my playlist has a sorta 'end of summer' vibe, hope you enjoy it! xx 

Camden Markets ☾

When I ask someone my age where their favourite places in London are, there’s a good chance Camden Town is pretty high on their list. 

So I figured it was about time I went to check it out myself. 

Let’s just say you can believe the hype. 

Generally I’m not really a fan of markets. They smell weird and the stalls are repetitive and filled with junk. If I’m being completely honest the Camden markets weren’t that different in that sense, the majority of the stalls either sold leathery goods, pop culture t-shirts/hoodies or prints of London. Oh not to mention there was plenty of Asian furniture/lantern shops that were filled with so much incense I got a headache walking past them. 

But what made a market snob like me have fun was how the markets themselves were set out in such a cool way that it was fun navigating through all the receptive stalls.

But the best bit was the food markets and cafe’s. The smells and the music made me feel like I was back home at Festivale, Launceston’s annual food and wine festival. Especially when I stumbled upon the Dutch Pancake stall, which people from home will know as the Worlds Smallest Pancakes. If you’re not familiar with Dutch pancakes think mini pancakes doused in Nutella and topped with strawberries ummm…. Yes Please! 

There was also Cereal Killer which I suppose is a cafe? Anyway it sells cereal (What? no way? Totally surprising right?) and I just know that one of my friends back home would absolutely love it.

ANYWAY it wasn’t just the amaze looking food that upped Camden’s game, but the food stalls themselves. The decorations were on point. Like seriously, all the food stores were really unique and pretty! I nearly bought a coconut iced tea even though I don’t really like coconut, the display was just so cool I wanted to buy from them and people looked so cool drinking from a coconut.

For real though Camden Town has some seriously cool vibes and I totally get why the Libertines love hanging out there. I’m refs going to go back with some of my friends.

Let me know what your fave part of Camden Town is or what other markets I should check out! 

Love ya! xx 

➳ A little trip to Bath...

Every time I visit Bath I can't help but fall in love with this quaint city. Even in the height of the tourist season Bath retains an atmosphere of peace and stillness and yet it cannot be called boring. The city is rich in history and there are so many beautiful places to see. I had already been to the Roman Baths before so this time round I spent more time exploring the streets and visiting the Bath Abbey. The view from the top of the tower is quite wonderful and you learn so much about the Abbey's history on the way up.

Exploring the streets of Bath is so much fun! The streets are easy to navigate and all the old buildings make it is easy to imagine what it would be like to be in a Jane Austen novel, especially when you pass Mr. Darcy on your way to the Royal Crescent.

I had a really great time in Bath and look forward to visiting again one day. 

Monthly Reads | June x

We're halfway through the summer here in the UK and there's nothing better than sitting out in the sun reading a light book and sipping on elderflower presse. This month I only read three books but they were all great easy reads and perfect for summer. 

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han 
3/5 Stars
This was my least favourite book of the month but don't let that deter you from reading it. It's super cute and easy to read. A perfect book for when you want to switch off and feel all warm and fuzzy. I love how the relationships progressed throughout the book and how the characters perspectives of other people were challenged throughout the story. I'm super excited to read the sequel P.S I Still Love You, hopefully I will read it before next months update post! 

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart 
4/5 Stars
As a girl who spent her teenage years watching Gossip Girl, reading fictional stories about rich people who attend boarding school is a guilty pleasure of mine. I really enjoyed reading this one as it has the whole 'skull and bones' element to the story and it is told in such an honest way that you can't help but feel both love and disappointment for all the characters. In many ways this story is about why people make the decisions they do and why they act the way they do.

Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver 
5/5 Stars 
Vanishing Girls has the compelling nature of Panic (also by Lauren Oliver) combined with the mystery of We Were Liars (by E. Lockhart) and I absolutely loved the combination. The writing was compelling and the story was so carefully constructed that when I finished I immediately wanted to go back to the beginning and start again (I didn't). I loved the relationship between the sisters and how it went back and forth between the characters and in time. I really enjoyed the ominous feeling throughout the book and how the plot unfolded at the end. Definitely makes me want to re-read We Were Liars and Panic.

Tell me what you've been reading this month in the comments! xx

The Strokes & Portobello Markets

'

So about two weeks ago I headed to London to see The Strokes at the BST festival in Hyde Park. While I was there I also wandered Notting Hills famous Portobello Road Markets. Sorry some of my photos aren't the best quality I was having way too much fun jumping around to the awesome tunes to take perfect pictures! x