New Years Resolutions!

To be honest I am not the type of person that usually makes new years resolution. For too many years I have set out with goals that just sort of set me up to fail. Normally they are situated around my education and myself in general.

I decided that this year I would focus more on my life outside my degree. My personal life is something that I don't particularly focus on enough. Therefore, this year I want to try to do more, try to be more sociable and to focus on things other than my uni work.

1. Find a new job

I didn't really set out to make any new years resolutions this year they just sort of appeared. Last week I finished a Christmas temp job and I am now so bored! Therefore, hopefully in short term, my main goal is to find a new part time job. I really enjoyed working at Lakeland and hopefully I can find something that is as enjoyable.

2. Take more photos

In 2016 I really have developed a love for photography. I definitely want to develop this hobby in the next year and get better at it. I have just brought a new camera, as my last one basically died! I am really excited to get used to this camera and be able to share some nice photos with you.

3. Go to more places

This definitely goes hand in hand with the last point. I don't mean that I want to travel the world or anything, but I just want to explore the UK more. There are places that I have never been before that I have really wanted to visit for a while now. Equally there are places that I have visited before and would love to go back to. I am starting of this resolution quite well as I managed to get some really cheap train tickets back in November and I am going to Edinburgh next week. There should be a blogpost on it soon.

4. Socialise more

This will probably be the hardest resolution to keep. Not because I don't want to, but because life seems to get so busy. Towards the back end of 2016 I was doing more with my friends. I really enjoy spending time with them and I found that by saying yes to everything I ended up getting invited to more things. I know that it sounds really obvious, but it is easy to forget the positive impact that friendship can have. Therefore, in 2017, I want to socialise more and spend more time with friends.

Thanks for Stopping By! :)

December 2016 Books!

December, as a month, has been really hectic and so I haven't had much time to read at the moment. I finally finished the reading for lit theory at the start of this month (thank god)! I also managed to read a couple of books for pleasure and re-read a short story for my assignment.

I Was Here - Gayle Forman
23rd Nov - 4th Dec

I have read a couple of Gayle Forman books before and really enjoyed both of them. This book is similar in the way that death is a major theme as it had been in If I Stay. However, it was a completely different story with a new set of characters. It was quite refreshing to read two novels from an author and it not feel like they were regurgitating the same storyline with different characters. It was also nice that, although If I Stay and I Was Here were so different, I still enjoyed both of them just as much. If I had to liken it to a different book, I would say that it was kind of like Paper Towns by John Green. It had a similar mystery element, with both protagonists trying to find out what happened to their friend.

The Shape of the Signifier - Walter Benn Michaels
1st Dec

I won't bang on too much about lit theory, because honestly I can't really remember what this was about.

The Singularity of Literature - Derek Altridge
1st Dec

Similarly, unfortunately, I can't really remember much about this one either (oops!).

Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption - Stephen King
5th Dec

I re-read this for my assignment. Read more about it in last months blogpost here.

The Jubilee Express - Maureen Johnson
3rd Dec - 11th Dec

This is the first of three stories in the book Let It Snow. I didn't have the chance to read the third one, so that will have to wait until next year. I like this one the most out of the two that I read. I loved the relationship between Jubilee and Jeb. To be honest, I really liked the way how all of the characters were developed and the fact that they were all not just what they seemed.

A Cheertastic Christmas Miracle - John Green
11th Dec - 23rd Dec

In all honesty, I brought Let It Snow in the first place, because there was a story by John Green. I normally really like his stories, but to be honest I didn't particularly like this one. I don't really know why, but I just didn't. I did, however, like the friendship between Tobin and the Duke.

Thanks for Stopping By! :)

Christmas Shortbread!

A lot of my family this year will be receiving shortbread for Christmas. It makes a great gift as it's really easy to bake and everyone tends to love it. The recipe is from the Mary Berry Baking Bible.

Ingredients

175g Self-Raising Flour
75g Caster Sugar
100g Butter

Steps

Step 1

Preheat oven to 140 degrees and line 2 baking trays with baking paper.

Step 2

Mix the flour and sugar together.

Step 3

Rub the butter in. It will go to a breadcrumb consistency, but will eventually become a ball of dough.

Step 4

Roll out the dough and use the cutters to make them into different shapes.

Step 5 

Transfer them onto the baking trays and bake for 10-15 minutes, until they are golden brown.

Step 6

Allow to them to cool and then either pop into a presentation bag or enjoy with your friends and family.

Thanks For Stopping By! :)

November 2016 Books!

Sorry there was no blogpost last week, I literally couldn't think of anything to write about and uni and work are both so busy at the moment!

Anyway, this month I haven't really read much other than lots of lit theory and the rest of my reading for uni.

Northern Lights - Phillip Pullman
28th Oct - 3rd Nov

I read this one for my childhood module at uni and i have to say that I didn't really enjoy it that much. I found it a bit too fantasy for my liking and the topic wasn't something that particularly interested. I was definitely happy when I finished read it as I found it kind of boring!

Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption - Stephen King
4th Nov - 6th Nov

This is short story by Stephen that I read for my adaptations module. I actually really enjoyed this one and I definitely wasn't expecting that I have to say. I actually liked it so much that I am using it as the text for my final assignment.

Kindred Spirits - Rainbow Rowell
8th Nov - 8th Nov

I was going through the Kindle store on the way home from uni, because I had just finished reading Shawshank and I didn't have another book with me, and I stumbled across this. I have read some of Rowell's books and I have loved them, especially fangirl! I really liked this one and it was only 95p, which I thought was quite good.

Free Four - Veronica Roth
9th Nov - 9th Nov

This was another one that I stumbled across at the same time as Kindred Spirits and I have to say I enjoyed this one too. I loved the divergent books and I jump at the opportunity of anything extra that I can read on it.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time - Mark Haddon
12th Nov - 22nd Nov

I didn't quite know what to expect from this one as I knew literally nothing about the plot before I read it. I wouldn't probably be something that I would normally read, but I was definitely thoroughly surprised. It was an interesting book and a very quick read.

Lit theory 

• The Postmodern Condition - Jean-Francis Lyotard
• Simulacra and Simulations - Jean Baudrillard
• Epistemology of the Closet - Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick
• New Ethnicities - Stuart Hall
• Postmodern Blackness - Bell Hooks
• Bodies that Matter - Judith Butler
• Black Skin, White Masks - Frantz Fanon
• Orientalism - Edward Said
• The Location of Culture - Homi Bhabha
• The Postcolonial Unconscious - Neil Lazarus

Again this month I have read A LOT of theory! Seriously, I am so glad that I now have read everything off the reading list now. I find a lot of it quite baffling to be honest, but I did like the week that we did on the postcolonial as I found it the both straight forward to understand this month!

My semester at uni is coming to an end, I only have one more week left. Therefore, next months books blogpost should be a lot more interesting. Also there will be a blogpost rounding up the 1st semester of 2nd year in the next couple of weeks.

Thanks For Stopping By! :)

Rich Tea Biscuits!

I like a good rich tea biscuit and I thought I would try to make my own. Also it gave me a chance to test out recipes for Christmas biscuits!


Ingredients

80g Caster Sugar
180g Butter
240g Plain Flour
1 tbsp Baking Powder
1 tbsp Milk
0.5 tsp Vanilla Extract

Steps

Step 1

Preheat oven to 190 degrees celsius (170 fan oven).

Step 2

Mix caster sugar, flour, baking powder and butter together and rub together until it resembles breadcrumbs.

Step 3

Add the vanilla extract and the milk. Personally I didn't add the milk as I felt it would have made the dough too wet.

Step 4

Roll out the dough (make sure to use plenty of flour) and use a circular cutter to cut out the biscuits.

Step 5

Bake for 9 minutes, until golden brown.

Step 6

Allow to cool and then enjoy!


Thanks For Stopping By! :)

*Original recipe can be found here.

73 Questions!

1. Were you named after anyone?

No, but I really wish I had have been.

2. When's the last time you cried?

Last week when I was ill.

3. Do you like your handwriting?

I don't know really. I don't hate it, but there are definitely people with better writing than me!

4. What is your favourite lunch?

I like a good toastie especially at this time of year.

5. Instagram or Twitter?

Instagram

6. If you were another person, would you be friends with you?

Yes.

7. Do you bake?

Yes, although I definitely don't make enough time for it at the moment.

8. Do you like flying?

I don't mind it.

9. Would you bungee jump?

No!

10. What is your favourite cereal?

I kind of feel like it's really boring, but Weetabix.

11. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off?

Yes!

12. Do you think you're strong?

No.

13. What is your favourite ice cream?

Ben & Jerry's Cookie Dough.

14. What is the first thing you notice about people?

Their smile!

15. Red or Pink?

If you're talking about a colour in its own right then red. If you're talking about lipstick then pink.

16. What is the least favourite thing about yourself?

I hate that I overthink everything!

17. Who do you miss most?

If I was away at uni properly then I would probably say my family. However, with commuting I get the best of both worlds, so I don't really miss anyone.

18. What was the last book you red because everyone was reading it?

The Fault in Our Stars.

19. What film made you cry the most?

I don't really cry at films.

20. What was the last thing you ate?

A rich tea biscuit.

21. What are you listening to right now?

The Fault in Our Stars soundtrack thanks to question 18!

22. If you were a crayon, what colour would you be?

Probably dark blue considering that I wear that colour about 70% of the time.

23. Favourite smell?

Probably chocolate. I love getting off the train and being able to smell chocolate from the Nestle factory in York as I walk to uni!

24. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone?

My dad.

25. Mountain hideaway or beach house?

Beach, of course!

26. Favourite sport to watch?

Probably swimming.

27. Hair colour?

Blonde.

28. Eye colour?

Blue.

29. Puppies or Kittens?

Puppies!

30. Favourite food?

Pizza!

31. Scary film or happy endings?

Happy endings!

32. Last film you watched?

Love Rosie, for about the millionth time!

33. What book are you reading now?

Victoria by Daisy Goodwin.

34. Summer or Winter?

Summer.

35. Hugs or Kisses?

Hugs.

36. Favourite dessert?

Chocolate brownie.

37. Favourite room in your house?

My bedroom.

38. How long have you been on Facebook?

Nearly 4 years.

39. What is your favourite country to visit?

Probably America.

40. What was the last country you visited?

America, about 3 years ago.

41. Do you have a sibling?

I have an older sister.

42. Favourite sound?

Sound of the sea!

43. Rolling Stones or The Beatles?

Beatles.

44. Do you have a special talent?

Baking and singing.

46. Where were you born?

Yorkshire.

47. Where are you living now?

Yorkshire.

48. Favourite Hitchcock movie?

Vertigo, it always reminds me of first year of uni!

49. What book have you read again and again?

The Gallagher Girl series by Ally Carter.

50. Favourite TV series that's on now.

The Crown on Netflix.

51. Dark chocolate or milk chocolate?

Milk.

52. What's your favourite drink?

Pepsi.

53. Who is your girl crush?

I honestly have no idea!

54. What was the first film you saw at the cinema?

The Incredibles.

55. Heels or flats?

Flats, I hate heels!

56. Favourite bed time story?

The ones my mum used to make up when I was little!

57. Bath or shower?

Shower.

58. What's the hardest thing about being a mum?

IDK!

59. Favourite band?

I can't think of any I really like!

60. Favourite solo artist?

James Bay.

61. To be or not to be?

To be.

62. What would be the title of your autobiography?

Probably something about my life being incredibly dull!

63. Best gift you've ever received?

Probably my laptop.

64. Best gift you've ever given?

I remember saving up my pocket money and buying my mum a hairdryer when I was about 8!

65. Favourite fruit?

Banana.

66. What was your first pet?

My cocker spaniel Poppy.

67. Favourite board game?

Cluedo.

68. How do you have your coffee?

I don't drink coffee.

69. Best invention?

Probably self driving cars.

70. Diamonds or pearls?

Neither?

71. Blow Dry or Air Dry?

Air dry.

72. Cheap or expensive shampoo?

Neither expensive or cheap.

73. How Difficult was it to answer these questions?

A bit difficult.

Thanks For Stopping By!

P.S. Got the questions here http://www.runninginlavender.com/73-questions/

Visit to the Children's Archive!

This morning as part of a module I'm studying about children's literature, we went across to my uni library's children archive. We spent about two hours looking through a lot of Victorian and Edwardian children's books.  To be honest I think we spent a good amount of that laughing at how truly sexist some of them were.

I definitely want to go back there as I actually only really saw a small portion of it. The portion I was in mostly had a lot of fairytales. It was really interesting to read some of the fairytales I grew up with, as well as discovering some that I had not heard of before.

It was also interesting to read some of the tales from the Brothers Grimm. This was something I had partially studied in relation to Angela Carter's The Bloody Chamber during second year of A-level. It was interesting to see how different they were to the fairytales that everyone thinks of. They are so dark!

It was also interesting to see the inscriptions at the start of different books. It was interesting to see that I lot of them had been given as prizes for good behaviour at school. One of them even had a crushed flower in.

All in all it was really interesting to go along and see a resource that I didn't know about before. It also helped to confirm to me that children's literature is definitely something that I want to talk about for my dissertation. The Children's Archive is also something that I definitely want to go back to in the future.

Thanks For Stopping By! :)