I'm doing this for me | Motivational Monday

Recently I've discovered running is a stress reliever. A half an hour run helps me de-stress, calm down and afterwards I always feel much better. So when someone asks me why I run I say for me. 

I don't run to look good for anyone or to keep up with anyone I run to keep myself feeling good and, let's be honest, to feel sane. And that's the reason you should do anything. 

This is a post aimed at my new years resolution to be healthier but I think there's a general message to all areas of life here. If you're not doing something because you want to - don't do it. Do it for you and for your happiness.

I did start running because I wanted to loose a few pounds, and still have a couple more pounds to lose before I hit my ideal weight but I am so happy with the stress relieving bi-product. Not only has running made me healthier physically but also mentally.

Anyway this week, I'm going to aim to get three runs in, two workouts and possibly a Zumba class of Friday if my mum doesn't flake on me again. Also no snacks between meals. Shall I cry now or later? 

What are you going to do to be healthy this week? 

Document Your Life - March 2014 | The Weekend Post

I said to expect a weekend post. I also said to expect a couple of 'Document Your Life' videos in preparation for Australia documentation. Basically you get to witness me learn to use editing software again and hopefully next month use my camera rather than my phone.

This month it looks like I spend most of my time walking dogs and sitting on public transport. That would be true. It's been a good months and I hope you like the little change up of form for this months wrap up.

My favourite posts this month that I'd like you all to read:

The Van.3

DIY Manicure

Book Recommendations for your Mum

Going Long Distance...And Coping

I won't miss this week | Finally Friday

We haven't been here on Friday for a while. Two weeks it's been I think, well we're here now so let's not dwell on the negative and let's get on with wrapping up the week that's passed.

The week started well. I got to get all dressed up for a dinner dance fundraiser at the rugby club. My brother's team are off to Belgium for their rugby tour in April and so fundraising has been happening in abundance. This one was a particularly good night, lot's of dancing, eating good food and drinking good wine. Well drinking wine. It was a really good night the boys were brilliant waiters and bar men not to mention musicians and singers, even if the songs were rather choice. 

Saturday morning was a bit of a struggle though. Apparently I can't keep up with sixteen year old boys when drinking now a days. However, it was a good excuse for a hot bubble bath and a face mask on a Saturday afternoon. As if I needed an excuse. 

I've been trying to a workout everyday and been relatively successful and am hoping to get along to a Zumba class next week to get some more cardio in. Healthy eating has been successful. No naughty treats and all clean eats. My favourite this week was a protein pancake (a banana, a handful of oats and 2 eggs) topped with grilled apples. It was sweet and yummy but wasn't naughty. Bikini body will be mine. 

Jack absconded to New Zealand this week. Lucky bugger a two week break in one of the most beautiful countries in the world. 

So that's all I have to say this week, it's typical the week I get back into Friday posts is the week I have the most boring week. Oh well, onwards and upwards. Here's to getting back into Friday posts. Hopefully a weekend post this week. 

What? Who said that? 

Going long distance...and coping | Thursday Talks

Disclaimer: Sorry Jack for using that awful screen shot again, James he's not peado!

Before I start this, this is going to be a serious post, something that's quite private, personal thing but I wanted to share it with you as I feel I've learned how to cope with it now and others may be able to get something from it. If you don't get anything from it or this post isn't for you then either don't read it, though I'd like it if you did, but don't go leaving nasty comments about how ridiculous I was. I know, trust me.

So you may know, from previous posts, that my boyfriend Jack left the UK to work in Australia back in December. He left two days before my birthday which definitely made the situation harder to deal with, and also coming up to Christmas time. They're two times of the year where you want to people you love close by and the person I really wanted there most wasn't. Now I know he hadn't died and he was reachable but it wasn't the same and going from seeing each other virtually everyday to speaking to each other when and if we could was a bit of a shock to the system.

I dealt with it in the worse way possible. I was fighting a near enough constant battle against minor panic and anxiety attacks. I felt constantly sick, I had a pretty much permanent headache, I had no appetite and no energy. All I wanted to do was lay in my bed, undisturbed and sleep. Luckily, at the time I was working full time which forced me to get up in the morning and socialise with people. If that wasn't the case there's no doubt in my mind that those first couple of weeks I'd have been a recluse. I was shattered though. I was waking up at silly hours of the morning and going to bed at silly hours in night, well morning really, just to get a couple of hours of conversation in with Jack.

Jack dealt with it much better. It comes down to the type of people we are. He's much more relaxed, positive - not that I'm a negative person but he just finds it much easier not to worry about things that could end badly, and generally doesn't let things get him down. I'm not like that as you probably well know by now. I worry about things until I'm shaking with anxiety, I work myself up about them until I cry and I stress so much that I make myself sick. It's ridiculous but it's true.

Looking back I could have dealt with that period in a much more healthy way. I realised, about three weeks into the experience, that focusing on other things, work, projects, my health, kept my mind away from the thousands of miles between us and therefore I wasn't such a shell of a human. I started the blog for something to do, I started running more frequently, and I focused on getting prepared for college. Booking my flights for Australia also helped as it gave us a date to focus on for when we'd next be able to actually see each other. I realised it was important that I was doing these things just to pass time in between conversations with Jack but because I wanted or needed to do them for me. If I'd have done them purely to pass time I'd have been back to square one, focusing on the thing that had got me in that rut.

Christmas and New Year were hard but they're times of the year that I love and I was determined to enjoy them knowing we'd both rather be together at those times but it was just the way things were, but they weren't going to be that way forever. I also realised I couldn't let my bad rationale effect Jack's experience. He was on the other side of the world with great possibilities ahead of him and I couldn't let my inability to cope get in the way of that. I had to be as positive, smiley and happy as I could for him. And it couldn't just be a front, cause he knows, oh boy does he know. It's not always something that comes naturally every time in fact it's something I have to remind myself of on occasion. This week he's gone off to New Zealand for two weeks. At first I didn't take it so good, two weeks of hardly any contact, a lot of money being spent and another few thousand miles away when all I want is him closer. But my lack of support made him question whether he should go and that's not right. When it comes down to it I always manage to cope because when you work it out it's not that hard and because I want to be with Jack so I have to cope, Jack won't get the oppurtunity to visit New Zealand very often.

Luckily my family and Jack's family are good friends, all of us. This has helped no end. I think it would be weird if I hardly saw them just because Jack's away. The first time I went in their house after Jack had left was a bit weird but I got over it and enjoy spending time with them just as much as I did when Jack wasn't in Australia. They're practically a second family.

The main thing that helped me overall was focusing on things other than the distance and the time difference and how little contact I sometimes had. Not filling the time for the sake of filling it but filling it because I have a life to lead and that can't be put on a hold because Jack got on a plane. Obviously, this isn't possible for everyone but knowing when he left that I'd be joining him in a few months gave me something to look forward to and hopefully make all that horribleness at the beginning worth it. College has helped no end, though it's stressful being busy is the perfect way to stop yourself freaking out. And contact with his family, all of them, is the ideal scenario that again probably isn't possible for everyone but if it is it's great.

So that's it. I coped horrifically at the beginning there's no denying it. Looking back I was a mess, and sometimes still am, but finding your coping method is all it takes.

For me it's keeping busy and focused.

Book recommendations for your mum | Wednesday Reads

My mum doesn't read. Not because she can't, or so she says, but because she doesn't enjoy it, or so she says. However, I am, quite clearly I think, an avid reader and so often have books that I've wanted to pass on to people, one person being my mum. I have tried on occasion to get my mum to read a couple of books I've really enjoyed but she either point blank refuses, says she'll try but never does, or gets past the first chapter - an accomplishment. Due to this I have a few books that I'm going to recommend for you to give your mum's this mother's day.

1) Before I Die, Jenny Downham 
This is a beautiful story of a young girl with terminal cancer essentially ticking off her bucket list. It's obviously heart wrenchingly sad but it's also beautifully written, funny and heat warming. I gave this to my mum when I finished it last summer and she actually got nearly half way through. Probably a good job cause I'm not good with tears, and there would have definitely been tears. However, my mum getting half way through is reason enough to buy it - hint it means it's good.

2) The Help, Kathryn Stockett 
This book is great. It's not the easiest read and I did struggle to get into it at times, so if you're mum is like mine this isn't going to be the book for her. However, overall the reading experience is delightful. The topic is handled truthfully and tastefully and again is funny, heart warming but also really sad in places. Something that mum's love no? It's the story of black maids in the deep south secretly outing their 'masters' if you like. Not the best description so go buy it to find out what's really going on.

3) Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro
This is another relatively slow story but again moving and deep. It's a great spring time read to be read with a glass of white wine and a cool spring evening. It's the story of three young adults coming to terms with their futures that have been kept secret from them. It's quite mysterious and dark and there's a huge social commentary piece running through it but it's not critical to the story it's just something that's noticeable if you look for things like that in books.

4) The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets, Eva Rice
This is probably the most mumsy book on the list. Set in the 1950's and about a young girl discovering itself it's truly happy and so easy to read. There's no deep underlying theme, no dark subject matter, and no huge deaths. It's fluffy and cute from beginning to end so perfect if you're mum enjoys chick lit at it's finest.

5) My Dear, I wanted to tell you, Louisa Young 
A world war 1 novel with a difference. If you're mum is into her history and likes historical fiction this a great one for her. There's more too it than just the trenches, blood and gore. Something I've not found in any other WW1 based novel. It's easy to read and thoroughly enjoyable, history buff or not.

So that's it. I hope you like my recommendations, let me know if you decide to get one for your mum or if you have any you'd recommend.

The Weather Variabe.2 the packing conundrum | Tuesday Travels

A few weeks ago I wrote a post called 'the weather variable'. That was back in February, remember that month that had passed whilst we blinked. In that post I discussed the Australian weather system, because it's different to ours, in case the time difference, willingness to live with scary beasts and price of a banana wasn't enough for me to deal with. I shared with you how the differing weather systems in Australia meant we could avoid relatively cold weather, though still warm for us Brits, by travelling across the northern parts of the country to Perth and then the southern half back to Brisbane. If you're confused I suggest referring back to said post.

Since then, it's come to my attention that it is not only the travelling itself that will be effected by the weird weather goings on, it will be my backpack contents.

Despite the fact it will hopefully be warmer when we travel norther, it may not be as dry as we'd liked and when you get storms in Aus, you know about it. As Jack keeps reminding me. As such my packing list looks a little less like someone going for a warm working holiday but rather someone who doesn't quite know what to expect. At present it goes, sunglasses, rain coat, after sun, thick socks. My packing list is schizophrenic. Or maybe the Australian weather is.

Either way, it is something I'm having to consider when I decided what I'm taking as I am limited due to the limitations of hiking backpack. I'm not even worrying about weight restrictions as I'm certain I won't be able to get enough in my bag to even get close to it.

When it gets closer to the time, i.e. when my mum stops me wearing certain clothes because she doesn't want to wash them again, then I will give you a better idea of what will be in my backpack. But until then I'm sure you're just as unsure as I am.

Make Sure It Makes You Happy | Motivational Monday

I hear a lot of people saying they don't enjoy what they do whether it be their job, the GCSE's they chose or how they choose to spend their Saturday mornings. As someone who is always striving for positivity and happy thoughts being happy in what I do is vital, and it should be for you even if you're a naturally positive person. Oh I envy you. 

Sometimes it's easier to do thing that isn't quite as satisfying, trust me I know. But at the end of the day when you're lying in bed that's the thing that's playing on your mind because you're not happy with it. If it's keeping you awake at night, making you stressed or making you feel anxious then you're not happy and you need to change it and you're the only person who can do that.

It's not always that easy. Walking out of a job isn't always an option, changing your GCSE options is impossible, but seeing how you can change it later to make you happy is a start. Looking for the job that makes you happy, seeing what's after GCSE's that will make you happy. Whatever it is striving towards that happy place is the best thing always. 

Find what makes you happy, know what makes you happy and get to that happy place. 

DIY Manicure | Thursday Talks

I love painting my nails! I know that sounds so girly, but it's true. I've always got my nails painted, if you've seen me with bare nails you know you're a true friend cause that's a privileged thing to have seen if you're in my acquaintance. I hate having nothing on my nails, I just think my hands look so bare and dull and boring without nail varnish and now because I've been painting them so much my nails look gross without it. I do my nails about once a week and try to do them properly, although life means I don't always have time. However, I've picked up a few tricks and tips and I thought I'd share them, and my at-home/DIY manicure routine with you.

Firstly the tips and tricks...

* Make sure your nails are super clean before painting them! Once you've done all the other prep steps wipe them over with a cotton pad with a little nail varnish remover until they're literally squeaky clean. This makes the nail varnish last a lot longer and also your nails are super clean - always good!

*Don't use a buffing box every time you paint your nails! If like me you paint your nails once a week, it can be tempting to use that wondrous invention that is the buffing block every time! Don't! Over buffing your nails will soften them meaning they break easier, and broken nails are not a good look!

*Splurging on a top coat is an essential! If you want your nail varnish to last 5-7 days get a decent top coat. Your nails will last so much longer and also top coats can smooth any kinks in the coloured varnish over!

*Wash your hands before starting! This is particularly essential if you're going to file your nails. Washing your hands, more importantly your nails, means the nail is softer and less likely to break or snap when your filing!

*Know your base coat! You know what your nail needs are, whether you want them to grow more, be stronger, whatever it is there's likely to be a base coat to suit your nail needs so shop around before you purchase!

So my manicure routine...

I find I don't need to cut & file my nails every time I paint them but when I do it's nice to take a little time over them to make sure the shaping is nice and there's no horrible loose bits of nail hanging off that will make the finish look scruffy. Choose a shape you like, pointy cruella nails seem to be in but personally I prefer shorter, squarer nails. Try and stick to the shape your nails grow naturally that way it won't look so odd when they start growing. I didn't need to use my buffing box this week but if I was going to I'd use it after filing and use sides two and three for smooth nails perfect for paining! Remember kids nail prep is key if you want your nails to look salon-esque and last!

There are many arguments about whether we should really push our cuticles back or not, but I do. It makes the finished nail looks much neater and if you wash your hands with warm water before hand, and use a cuticle oil or cream before pushing them back the process is so quick and easy.

I don't splurge on base coats like I do top coats as for me it's just to make sure my nails are kept strong whilst their painted and I also find using a base coat stops my nails staining as much. This one from Superdrug was £1.99 and does the job just grand.

The fun part, choose your colour and apply! I'm not in the party that says a nail varnish has to be expensive to be good, I've spent up to £10 on nail varnishes and they've lasted just as long and gone gloopy just as quickly as my cheaper ones. Collection is a great drugstore brand if you're on a tight budget but if you can afford to spend a little more Revlon polishes are my absolute favourites. I always find two coats is far better than one, even on polishes that say you only need one coat. Two thin coats just looks better to me.

The top coat! This is the step that will make those well prepped nails last. Without a top coat my nails are chipping within two days, with a top coat I'm talking the same colour for up to a week, depending on how heavy duty my hands are working. This Sally Hansen top coat wasn't too expensive and it does the job nicely, it will also double up as a base coat once my other one has run out which is a bonus. However, my favourite top coats are fast drying ones as I'm so impatient and hate waiting for my nails to dry. Fast drying ones often mean I can get on within 10 minutes of finishing, with this I find I'm having to wait up to half an hour to prevent any smudges or annoying sticking marks in my nails.

So that's it! My top tips and DIY manicure to make your nails looks salon-finished and keep it lasting for up to a week, though don't sue me if they don't! Hope you enjoy giving your hands a bit of a pamper, grab yourself a hand cream for a little extra luxury and why not extend the favour to your toes! 

Let me know how it goes!

My Favourite Booktubers | Wednesday Reads

Unfortunately I haven't got time this week to do a lot of long intense posts, back to normal next week though I promise. So today here's a quick list of a few Booktubers I really enjoy. When I'm looking for books I often go to these channels to look for recommendations. Most of them don't just the read same old boring books that everyone's reading, they don't just read the Divergents, the Hunger Games, all those things that everyone's bored of hearing about. These read books I don't really hear of until I see them on their channels. So if you're looking for something out of the ordinary to read or just fancy discovering some new booktubers here's my list.

 Sanne | Books&Quills 

Amy | ShoutAme

Catriona | TheLittleBookOwl

Ariel | ArielBissett

Gabriella | TimelordsandWizards

Lorna | SuddenlyLorna

Brisbane to Townsville | Tuesday Travels

I received a message from Jack today, this isn't a rare occurrence but the message is notable for this post. 'Find some free campsites in between Brisbane and Townsville.' A task that I was happy to oblige to. After a morning full of exam, cashew nuts and donuts forgetting college for an hour was the exact medicine I needed to de-stress and relax for an hour. Today, as you've probably guessed, forgetting about college came in the form of Googling different places along the east coast of Australia adjacent to the words free campsite.

When I got Jack's message my first thought was 'where's Townsville?' So naturally that was the first thing I found. I'm very happy to report that all images show a paradise. Long sandy beaches, green foliage, clear blue waters. Just what I need at the moment, two months isn't long, I remind myself for the fourth time today.

After taking in and admiring the wonder of Townsville beaches I got to work. I began by having a look on Tripadvisor (definitely a good place to start if you have any travel questions, queries, confusions) to see if anyone else had done the same route. I was glad to find they had, no not with free campsites. The thing about Australia is that some counties offer free stop-over points for travellers or people passing through whereas others don't, this was something I was yet to find out. However, the Tripadvisor post did give me a few ideas of places we could stop. A few of them I recognised as Jack has mentioned them previously.

So I narrowed down a few places, Hervey Bay, Bundaberg, Rockhampton, Airlie Beach and obviously Townsville. I began Googling free campsites in these places. However, this proved difficult. A couple of the places don't offer free-stop-overs and others just seem to not put anything google, clearly they don't need the tourist trade.

Anyway after about 30 minutes of stress levels rising due to finding one place named 'Alligator creek' and another warning me of saltwater crocodiles, I finally stumbled across a gem.

Courtesy of caravantour.com

So this website has done all the hard work for me. It has found all the free campsites/stopover points on the east coast (I think all of Australia but I was only looking at the east coast) and pinpointed them on a map. I proceeded to find the ones closest to the places I'd already picked out and I think I may have done as requested in about ten minutes of the hour I spent on the task.

This new find is definitely something me and Jack will use throughout our trip. These free stop over points that are all over Australia are perfect when you're travelling the distance that we are and just for travelling in general. And having them all pinpointed on a map for you makes them easy to find and the process a lot less stressful. I still didn't find one as close to Airlie Beach as we'd have liked, somewhere we both want to go, but we'll get as close as we can or you never know we might treat ourselves.

We'll see, but for now cheap and cheerful it is.

Stop being afraid | Motivational Monday

This week was meant to see me focus on my eating healthy/loosing weight resolution. However, I ended up having a very stressed, very worry-ful, very anxious weekend. I've got two exams this week after only six weeks of learning and I've also got bits and pieces to do for Australia and I've got stories to finish for my portfolio. That's why you didn't get a Friday post, I am sorry about that. But understandably stressed I think but as Jack keeps reminding me it doesn't do me any good. As I well know and as I have previously stated.

So this week once again I will be focusing on the 'don't worry so much' resolution. More so as a challenge set by Jack with a reward at the end of it. A good reason I think you'll agree.

I've been thinking very negatively about things at the moment. About all the wrong things, not that anything should be thought negatively about. But as soon as I get a negative thought it winds me down until I break down, so no more of that.

So this week I've got to be positive, not worry and not get anxious and worked up. I've got to focus on smiling being happy and not looking at how things could go wrong. Something I'm a bit of a rogue for doing. This time though it's got to last longer than the end of the week. This has to continue because carrying on having a breakdown once a week is not a good way to live, and not a healthy way especially when I'm trying so hard to be healthy physically.

Sorry for anyone who was hoping for a healthy post, you seem to have liked Thursday's one. I think I'll do a health and fitness post on Thursday again to make up for it so you can look forward to that.

So here's to a positive onwards. I'll keep you updated. Wish me luck.

A healthy week | Thursday Talks

This week I've been making a very conscious effort to eat more healthily. Normally I'm just careful not to eat bad things during the week but don't really think about the things I am eating. This week I've been watching the calories and trying to keep things as far away from fats and carbs as possible apart from the good ones that you sometimes get.

Anyway, because of this decision I've been making a few things in the kitchen myself. This way you know exactly what's going into your food and you don't end up with loads of added sugar and things that you don't really want to be eating if you're trying to be healthy. So today I thought I'd share with you a few of things I've rustled up this week.

Green smoothies are great for your health. Anything that's green is generally really good for you, don't be silly though I obviously don't mean green smarties or skittles. Green vegetables and fruit we're talking here. In this Monday morning concoction I added half a mug of cold green tea, half a frozen banana, a handful spinach, six green grapes, a little pomegranate juice, and a tablespoon of low fat coconut yoghurt. I know spinach in a smoothie sounds vile but you can hardly taste it amongst all the other things. I like spinach so it wouldn't be a problem for me but if you'd still not rather go near the spinach maybe try cucumber instead. Just keep it green. 

So this was Monday's dinner. Meat is full of carbs, not all of them good ones but fish is a great substitute for when you're cutting down. Though sometimes you can't resist a steak, I know but when I'm being super conscious of what I'm taking in fish is the better option. This peppered smoked mackerel from Tesco is already cooked eaten cold, all I had to do was take it out the packet. I had it with a few crushed potatoes which I doused with and olive oil, garlic and parsley concoction all served on a bed of wilted spinach. It was very filling despite only using three new potatoes and went down a treat. 

These protein pancakes are a great way to start the morning. Packed full of lots of goodies to see you through until lunch. They're also super easy to make. Just blitz two eggs, a handful of oats and a banana in a food processor. Let the mixture sit for two minutes then fry them in a pan with a little oil. They're great topped with a drizzle of a honey and fruit of your choice. I opted for a few tinned apricots. Tinned fruit is great but make sure you get it in juice not syrup for the healthier option.

Tuesday's lunch was left over from Sunday's dinner. One of dad's concoctions. I can't tell you how to make it but I can tell you what was it it and that it tasted bloody great. So there's chicken thighs, skinless, chorizo, chickpeas, courgette, celery, onion, garlic, tinned tomatoes and a sprinkling of parley. I'm assuming you fry everything off before covering with the tomatoes and chickpeas and leaving to cook for a little while. But I can't be sure.

So this was yesterday's lunch, a bit of a rushed affair but scrummy nonetheless. Again a bed of spinach, it appears nearly everyday cause it's so easy and tastes great without doing anything to it. Much better as a salad base then lettuce. I then topped with grilled tomatoes, some chickpeas and a little feta that I had left in the fridge. Spinach so filling so when you're trying to cut down it's great because you don't need a lot of it and mixing it with a few other veggies and bits is a great way to get a lunch that's super good for you but also will keep you going until dinner. 

Lastly, last night's dinner. Stir fry. Now I thought stir fry was kinda unhealthy due to the word fry but stupid me, it's not really if you go about it the right way. I bought a vegetable stir fry pack and rice noodles, rather than egg noodles, and added half a tin of tuna and a little chilli sauce. It was really scrummy, super filling and one I'm looking forward to doing again with what's left over. 

So that's my healthy week so far, this morning I'll be dining on poached egg on a slice of wholemeal. I'll be finishing of the chicken stew (there's hardly any left) and tonight I'll be dining on a reduced fat spag bol. Scrummy. Hope you're keeping as healthy and hearty as you all can, and if you try any of these out or have any suggestions don't forget to let me know. 

The book sacrifice tag | Wednesday Reads

If you're confused about what's going on here, I would recommend watching this video before reading this post. So this all stems from having books that you dislike for whatever reason. Everyone has them, even those who love reading, me included. Life would be too perfect and too easy if I loved every book I picked up and probably very, very boring. So here are some of the books that I dislike most. As Ariel said in her video this is just a bit of fun, it's not mean to be offensive just a bit of fun.

One book I've read and felt was overhyped massively was One Day by David Nicholls. I had it on good authority that this was going to be a good book. Friends had recommended it, I had seen it on booktube and when I got around to buying it I was aware they were making a movie out of it. However, I really didn't enjoy it. I found the story to be boring, I didn't connect to the characters and nothing really happened. I felt the parts that had probably been created to be shocking weren't shocking and were actually quite predictable. The story line I found to be quite repetitive and dull and it didn't really go anywhere, only where I was expecting it to go. Overall, I found the book dull and it was the only book I read last time that I was glad to be finished with. So I guess that's a bonus.

A sequel I hated was Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer. Yes I read the Twilight series, which fifteen year old girl didn't, and at the time I really enjoyed them despite what my now 20 year old mind tells me about them, but that's another discussion. Anyway, out of the four books this was my least favourite. It's the biggest book by quite a considerable amount but it has the least content. By that I mean nothing happens. Can you notice a running theme in my dislike for books? The ending was, without over exaggeration, the most anti-climatic ending I've ever read. So if you're thinking about reading the Twilight series for whatever reasons, who am I to judge, I wouldn't worry too much if you don't get round to Breaking Dawn.

The classic I have the most dislike for, that I've read, is Lord of the Flies by William Golding. I read this at school for GCSE and when I say read I read the first half and got no further. I couldn't get through it. Despite the action and excitement I found it boring and stretched out. I don't really have much else to say cause I only read the first half but what I can say is I found the first half dull.

My least favourite book generally is Enduring Love by Ian McEwan. I know a lot of people love McEwan and I would like to read more of him, especially Atonement but this one I just didn't get along with. I found the narrator annoying, selfish and whiny I found the other characters pretty similar and I found McEwan's writing bland on the most part. I found the story line to be hugely staged and false which bugged me the whole way through. This was another occasion where I was glad to get to the end. But I suppose at least I got to the end.

So there four of my most hated books. I hope you enjoyed this tag, it's a bit different to hearing me waffle on about a book I love so that's why I did it. Let me know what your least favourite books are in the comments.

The Brisbane Hotel Search: Part 1 | Tuesday Travels

Two months today I will be flying to Brisbane in a few hours. When I land in Brisbane I'll meet Jack and that's as much as we have so far. We know we want to stay in a hotel for the first two nights so we can sort things out and have at least two properly comfortable nights before facing life in the van. 

Hotels, however, are expensive and we don't have a lot of money. If any money. Therefore we have one real requirement:

Cheap.

Obviously, we have other requirements but cost is the first and foremost priority. We'd ideally like to be relatively near the centre and we'd like a wi-fi as we don't know when we'll have it again. However, if it means saving money these things will have to pushed to the sideline. 

I've been given the job of looking into hotels whilst Jack sorts his flights. We're not booking anything but we want to get some idea of what's out there and what price we're talking. At the moment I'm spending about half an hour in the evening flicking between Expedia and TripAdvisor. Two websites that are live savers for this sort of situation. 

I haven't got much to say at the moment apart from, no matter what your budget I'm pretty certain you could find somewhere to stay in Brisbane. By the end of March hopefully we'll have a hotel and I'll be able to give more advice and tips for the process but for now just know I've got all you budding travellers in mind when I come across an annoying niggle, another tip written down in my notebook for you all.

So this is what I'm doing at the moment in terms of travelling plans. We're getting to the last few small things now and they're annoying silly little things but they have to be done so excuse me if I end up rambling about the annoyances of planning big trips at somepoint. 

Today is full of possible | Motivational Monday

Everyone Monday feels like the return of an annoying ex, you just want to shut the door in it's face and tell them there's just no chance of it happening. But with Mondays, unlike annoying ex's, this isn't acceptable or possible. You have to get up to face the dreaded Monday no matter how awful it feels when the 6am alarm goes off.

However, sometimes it feels a bit easier when you remember that no matter how much you hate Monday morning the day is just as full of possibilities as every other day.  A good Monday is the start of a good week. 

So this week start as you mean to go on. Have the granola and yoghurt rather than the bacon sarnie, get something done by 10am and smile. 

Today is full of possible, make it good possible. 

Week 9, cause I don't know what else to call it | Finally Friday

You've probably noticed that these posts consistently go up on a Saturday morning nowadays, I don't have an excuse apart from that after three hours of shorthand followed by packing and a 45 minute drive home I can't be bothered. I do create the photos on a Friday and know what I'm going to mention I just never get round to writing them up. However, I'm still going to call them Finally Friday's because well, the intention is there.

So this week started with extra birthday celebrations for my Dad. However, I started Saturday morning with a cuppa and some marmalade on toast, and the John Lewis and Waitrose magazine. A good start I think we can agree. I was intending on making my dad a chocolate cake but the Waitrose magazine gave me inspiration and we ended with a fresh cream and strawberry sponge. It went down well and the last slice was made into a shot alongside some rum. Apparently it's a rugby people thing, I think it's a crazy people thing.

Sunday morning we went along to the Cullen's (Jack's family for any confused) for a breakfast. Of course I got to see Loki and Tess which always makes my day. I'm such a loser I know. It was a good breakfast and got to see Jack's aunty and uncle and little cousins before they went back to France which was good. 

This week at college has been ridiculously hectic and stressful. Monday was by far the worst panic day I've had in a long time. I got through it though and sat the mock exam and think (fingers big time crossed) that it went ok. The reporting mock, not so sure. Reporting is by far my worst lesson which probably sounds bizarre when I'm doing a journalism diploma. It's the one I find hardest by far and also a little dull not for lack of a lovely lecturer it's just quite repetitive.

I got to come home in the middle of the week this week which was nice, would have been nicer without the £9.90 ticket. Had a relaxing afternoon that included pancakes and an evening listening to Dr Alan Simmonds talk about Littlehampton (my town) during WW1. In case you've not gathered yet it's the centenary of the beginning of the First World War this year and it's a period of history I'm really interested but have never learned anything about it in this area. It was definitely interesting despite it not quite being what I thought it would be. Hopefully I'll get a story out of it for my portfolio as well.

So that's my week really. Same old, same old apart from the stuff I've mentioned. The weekend looks set to be a good one and the weather is supposedly going to be good so that's a bonus. So until next time, have a good weekend. 

A project | Thursday Talks

A new project is under way in the emilyjdoesthings world. I recently came across this video by Ella Grace. I really enjoyed it and thought it was marvelous. At present I'm doing some video training on the course and am really enjoying it. After my last lesson and seeing Ella's video I felt inspired. Ladles and jellyspoons my new project is....

Australia video diaries!

Yet to decide on a decent name for it. 

Jack likes, Australia: Our big bedroom. Not so sure about that but we'll see, lack of ideas may force me to use it. 

Anyway, I've been thinking about putting videos on the blog like this for a while, like document my life videos but never have and figured Australia was the perfect excuse. It's a good way for me and Jack to document everything we get up to whilst travelling, they'll be good to look back at when we get home but also in years to come and also they'll be a great way of making sure everyone at home knows what we're up to. I know my mum will probably love watching them to know we're not dead somewhere in the outback. 

I'm hoping to document as much as I can btu electricity sources and wifi could prove to be problematic at time so we'll see how that goes. Ideally I'd like to create one for each week we're there, but again we'll see.

In the meantime I'm hoping to do a couple of document my life videos for March and April to get me used to filming randomly and out and about and also to get used to using a new editing software. Before I've used final cut, movie maker (cause I'm that old and when I was 13 that was the best thing in the world) and premiere pro.The one I have now is new and different so fingers crossed I can get my head round it before May. 

If successful you may see a couple of videos on here in the near future. 

What's on my kindle? | Wednesday Reads

So if you've read my Australia to read list, you will know that I'm not planning on taking any actual books with me, apart from Birdsong because, you know, it's Birdsong. I'm going to be taking my marvelous kindle with me. A bit of a late convert to the wonders of the device but after a bit of get used to I am in full support of the kindle and other readers. Especially if you're commuting everyday or like me going abroad and have a baggage allowance it means you can take as many books as you wish without having to worry about weight restrictions or breaking your back. So today I thought I'd share with you what's on my Kindle waiting to be read.

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson

The Universe Versus Alex Woods by Gavin Extence

The Diaries of a Fleet Street Fox by Fleet Street Fox

Signal Red by Ryan Robert

A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin

This may not seem like a lot but as a skint student at present I can't afford any others and lets just remember that each Song of Ice and Fire books is over 1000 pages. I think they may just last the trip.

The 'Van'.3 | Tuesday Travels

Photos courtesy of Jack

Yes that's the same van that was pictured here a few weeks ago. Looks different right? Well Jack has been working hard, making storage, devising mattress solutions and sewing curtains. Bit of a domestic goddess I've got myself here. But anyway, after a few days hard graft (not including the curtains but we don't talk about them) Jack manage to restore the van to make much more livable and much more suited to our needs.

It now comes along with storage for all out things, a comfy, clean mattress and curtains. Almost a 5* hotel room don't you agree? Okay, maybe that's a bit far but it's a vast improvement and Jack worked super hard to get it looking like it does and we're both super happy with it, not to mention I'm very impressed about his skills with a needle and thread.

This is just a short post to keep you updated with Australia arrangements and developments and this is the most exciting development as of the last month or so. We're both very busy at the moment, me trying to revise for exams that have come around far too quickly and Jack trying to find work. We occasionally talk about what we need to do and we've both got a couple of things we need to get done in regards to Aus in the next couple of weeks but plans and things to do aren't really talked about when we get a chance to talk for more than half an hour.

Hopefully next week I'll have something longer and more exciting for you all but for now you can be envious of my super talented boyfriends handy man skills.

Worry is a misuse of your imagination | Motivational Monday

Photo Credit

Two months ago I made the decision to start daily blogging, well week-daily blogging, and for those two months I've blogged every week day. One of the first posts I wrote those two months ago was my New Years Resolution post. Not only is that one of my top viewed posts it's also the post I got back to most often. Something else I continue to do weekly is a Motivational Monday, on the second ever motivational Monday that I wrote I decided I'd use every other Monday to channel the motivation towards myself and my resolutions, because like most bloggers I'm shamelessly selfish. You still get every other Monday for you though, so you know, not wholly selfish.

Anyway, Monday before last saw me reach my last resolution. So today, we're back at the beginning with the resolution 'Don't Worry So Much.'

The last time I focused on this resolution I was still in a bit of a crap place. I was feeling down and anxious about a lot of things and was worrying too much about it all. Reading back on that post makes me feel awful about the state I was in but I definitely feel since writing that post I've come along way with my anxiety and worrying so much. And it's only been two months. Generally I'm happier, less stressed and just feeling a lot better in myself and about everything around me.

I still worry about a lot of things more than I know is rational or good for me but sometimes I can't help it. It just creeps up on me and before I know it I'm feeling sick and shaky and like I need to escape the room. I got and lie down close my eyes for half an hour and either just lay there and breathe (I know that probably sounds so weird but it's so helpful) or sleep and 99% of the time I come out of it feeling better. Sometimes it might be that I need to talk to someone who I know will snap me out of it and remind me that it's all ok and help calm me down and I'm lucky that I know I've got so many people I can call in those situations.

I've come to the conclusion, thankfully and at long last, that worrying is a complete waste of time. It doesn't make me feel better about any situation, it doesn't calm me down and it just wastes a whole lot of energy and time that would be better spent elsewhere. When I do have one of my moments I leave it feeling completely drained in every way and it sucks because I then spend the rest of the day knowing I've got things I should be getting on with but not having the energy to do so.

The worrying and anxiety and over thinking has improved since I started blogging and I'd be a fool not to think that having this daily outlet has helped. However, it's still not as sorted as I know it could be. I'm going to continue working on it. When I feel myself get panicky I'm going to make more of an effort to be rational and breathe rather than really working myself up over it. I need to spend more time reminding myself that if I let it get on top of me I'm going to waste a lot of energy, time and imagination and less time thinking into it all too much.

So in conclusion I'm proud of myself for how much better it's got, but there's still room to grow and hopefully next time I visit this resolution I'll be able to say it's got better again.