Live, Breathe, Read

Right thats the most pretensious post title i think i will ever write, but in most ways, for me anyways, it is completely true! I can't remember a time in my life where i havnt been an avid reader. My personal collection of books is easily over 100 and is nearing the 200 book mark. I really do love reading, if im stressed, sad or even angry nothing will calm me down like a good book and nice cuppa (really showing my Englishness there haha) and even if im in a good mood, a really good read is the way to improve it so it can last days.
                      However, there is a downside to all this booklovin, and that is that i have

no space anywhere in my room. I have a 7ft floor to ceiling bookcase that is so crammed with books it looks like it might fall apart any second, i have them in stacks on my floor, in the bottom of my wardrobe, in my chest next to my bed that i can lay in rather comfortably when its empty...                 Sadly for my mother i am a hoarder, i have never gotten rid of any of my books, well atleast since i learnt to protest her going through my room while im at my dads and chucking stuff out. This causes constant arguements for several reasons 1) You cannot walk from one end of my room to the other in a straight line 2) it looks messy and lastly 3) Mum just doesnt understand because she is not a 'reader' the last book she read was when she was still in highschool. I know it sounds silly labling someone as a 'reader' but it is a way of life, you either read and love it or you dont. Its as simple as that, but her lack of understanding is what causes the most problems, mainly cause she wants me to take all my beloved books to the charity shop (The Horror!!!!)
                    As you can see my dear mum is clearly not the reason books are the second love of my life (right after food), the reason for that was my wonder and dearly missed

Nana Pauline, every saturday we would go to the libary and pick out books for the week ahead, we would read side by side... Me with my kiddies books and her with her crime drama's, we did this without fail every single week until she died. Now most people who read alot at a young age have given up by age 18, but aswell as the adventure she taught me was found in each new book, she also taught me to respect books... Which sounds rather silly, but unless i brought a book second hand (they are so much cheaper) not a single one of my books, has a weak spine or a torn page... even the ones from when i was younger dont have pen in. Well my poetry books have annotations IN PENCIL but poetry was made to be analysed and read outloud. This care and respect for my books makes them something of a familiar safe haven, when i miss her i can look at my book case and see all the prisitineness and remember all the lessons she taught me ones book releated and ones to do with life, and also remember all the good memories we had a little easier.


This post has a lot of sentiment for me because i feel that the books i've read have changed and shaped me in someways, every single book i've read is a new story, a new idea, a new way of looking at things, of learning things. Some books have actually taught me important life lessons,

Love That Dog by Sharon Creech for exaple taught me about grief and death after my grandad Doug died when i was seven. Its also a beautiful collection of poetry, and teaches about different forms of poetry. Its a really brilliant book, if you can get ahold of it.

Several books i've read recently have taught me about the horrors of humanity, not a very nice lesson to learn but one that needs to be learnt all the same. Some of these are fiction, like Lolita by Nabokov and The Collector by Fowles, both are incredible in the way that makes you want to vomit and never leave the house ever again. And then some are actual historical non-fictisious epics, like Former People by Douglas Smith and Into The Quick Of Life by Jean Hatzfield, both about genocides in completely different parts of the world almost seperated by a century. Yes the non-fiction is disgusting and makes you scared to think that these acts happened, all those people died just because some people thought what they stood for, was the correct way of thinking, and no one bothered to stop them. This weakness in human nature is almost accepted, people kill thats just a fact. The first recorded war was in 2700 BCE, and its believed that we were killing each other before we learnt to write. This is horrifying yes, but like i said we expect it from humans... If its been going on this long it must just be in our nature. The fiction side is more shocking and terrifying because it explores the sides of human nature we love to ignore, the sides that you cant believe exist in a normal human, the type of person who you would never believe could harm people. We dont learn from the killers in the real world who people say they cant believe they did it. But within fiction a good author can over exploit this trait and make it believable in a very sick way. In Lolita Humbert

Humbert functions at a completely normal level within human society yet in his mind he is viewing pre-pubescent girls as nymphlets who ask to be 'defiled', and in The Collecter Fred manages to kidnap a girl with no suspects and keep her hostage til she dies. Now your thinking but its just that fiction dont know why your naming it a lesson in the horrors of humanity, until you realize that these things happen all the time. In the UK alone there is always cases of kidnapping and murder, of peadophiles and rapists yet we ignore it, thinking if someone was bad we would know it. The truth is you dont know it, people can hide anything they want to and fiction exploits this so even compared to books about genocide, its only within fiction that it makes your stomach crawl.

Books also twist perceptions of romance, when i was a little girl i thought it would be simple, I'd meet some perfect prince, he'd be totally gorgeous and then we'd get married

happily ever after... Completely unrealistic btw. Now after reading more grown up takes of relationships you can see that even love thats portrayed as true within fiction has its difficulties which is so much more like my observations of real life relationships. Some books take that to the extreme and here is my top 10 Romance novels, even if you dont like romance genre give them ago because you will be surprised i promise.

1. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, 

Not because Heathcliff is the perfect man, because he isnt, but because of how it looks at the parralels between love and relationships, and how society/taste influences who you chose as a prospective mate, and how love doesnt actually mean anything when it comes to relationships.

2. Skirrid Hill by Owen Sheers,

Yes its a collection of poetry, but it explores all aspects of love, from family to sex, from grief to happiness. Sheers is one of my favourite contemporary poets, and this collection really showcases why. PS I saw him do a reading live and it was incredible.

3. Me Before You by JoJo Moyes,

Yes its pure chicky nonsense, but it has bite and made me cry for hours after i finished reading it... Enough said.

4. The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald,

One of my all time favourite books, it shows how love in the wrong place and wrong time causes a huge amount of problems, and how eventually love doesnt conquer all.

5. The Colour Purple by Alice Walker

Shows how love doesnt come into relationships and when it does it all goes to shit, also includes racial/gender/gay issues so it covers a wide variety of social struggles, in a well formulated and wonderful book. Really a testament to Walkers skill as an author.

6. The Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlane Harris

Good ol smutty vampire fiction, with kickass story lines and a strong female protagonist, also includes awesome accompanying TV show (well awesome for first 4 seasons)

7. Sins of the past by Mils and Boon,

My first and only Mils and Boon because lets face it they are crap, but we had to have one on here, because they are apparntly the pinacle of romance fiction (what crap)

8. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

A sick disgusting book, that you need to read, shows dark dimensions to realtionships and highlights how love is what you make of it, even if what you make of it is morally disturbing and creepy.

9. Ps I Love You by Cecelia Ahern

Another total chick book, that i love with every fibre of my being, and also shows how love continues after death.

10. The Good Father by Noah Hawley

Murder, guilt and a whole load of fucked up family.

This post has gotten crazy long and im still not done, just one more top 10 to go, and thats my top 10 all time favourite books/series. Its a crazy hard list because if i think of every book i've ever read most have been pretty epic. Also some of the more socially acceptable books will not be on here, because yeah they are great but there are some real hidden gems that i love more. 

1. Lord of The Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

This epic series does not even need explaining i order you to read them ASAP.

2. The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter,

Fairytales rewritten in ways you've never thought of before.

3. Ariel by Slyvia Plath

I love Plath even though her poetry is very difficult to understand, Daddy will always be my favourite poem of the collection, fuck patriarchy.

4.Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Its a classic, its got romance, hatered, abuse and Heathcliff, he's the worst example of a bloke i've ever read about, yet he's completely irresistable.

5. The Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlane Harris

It was my transition from teenbooks to grownup stuff, and will forever hold a fond place in my heart. Who doesnt love vikings?

6. The Collector by John Fowles,

Possibly the most disturbing book ever written, but so brilliantly written you cant put it down until the end. And what an end it is. So grim gives me nightmares constantly.

7. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Its another classic, and if you read it you will understand why it has stood the test of time, also everybody wants to party like Jay Gatsby.

8. Beowulf

Yes the original tanslation, old english is beautiful once you learn how to read it. Also its the original epic. You have to read this atleast once, whether translated or in old english.

9. The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli

the reason why most villians are called Machiavellian.

10. Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates

Adultry, death and love all set in the 50's, what more do you want from a book.

Right if your reading this, thanks for sticking it through and i hope you get some reading inspiriation. I decided to do a post completely dedicated to books because they are at the front of my blogs title. And sorry for the gap between posts, i've been rather busy lately!

Hope you enjoyed reading this, and come back to read my next post!

You can never have enough Biffy.

Right the last week or so i've 'discovered' some new bands, and i say 'discovered' because some of them i've always known for like one song and in a download binge i got their full discography and now love them... I'm very fickle. 

One of these such bands is Biffy Clyro

            I had heard a few of their songs over the years, and always liked them but never really thought to investigate their brilliance. Im telling you i missed out on YEARS of being serenaded, by a scottish accent with amazing guitar and drums to boot. I was a fool, and anyone who hasnt atleast given them ago aswell is too... The song that made me want to check them out in further detail and know them for more than Many Of Horror, was Biblical off of their latest album Opposites. Biblical is like everything i needed in a song, it starts off all soft and lovely, has really good lyrics, is catchy, well sung, and well played and it gets going doesnt just stagnate in slow and sultry but moves forward into a slightly heavier chorus... Its everything i like in a little 4 minute package. SO after the amazement i felt at my own stupidity i swiftly downloaded all of their previous albums, even their first one Blackend Sky which i had been told to give a miss. And let me tell you im glad i didnt, yes the first album is very different to where they are now but all bands do that, as i so vehemntly protested in my last post. Kill The Old And Torture Their Young is my favourite song off of that album, it 6 minutes of strangeness that i find delightful if not slightly heavier than my usual taste at the start... Unfourtunatly i couldnt find the album they released inbetween 2002 and 2007 where there was Puzzle (possibly my favourite album) as all the songs meld really well when you

listen to it, none overpowering the others but all equally have their brilliance. For a taste  Get Fucked Stud is a personal favourite along with As Dust Dances 2/15ths... 
The next album Only Revolutions is the first one i heard and is in its own right very well made, however the only song i had heard off of it had been Many Of Horror, which is a good song but wasnt enough for me to explore further (once again i am a very stupid person) because that album is chock full of absolute GEMS. Just listen to the first track Captain and you'll understand why i should not of been hasty! My favourite tracks off of the album are Bubbles and God & Satan because they are both superb.
Their newest album Opposites was released in 2013 and is just as good as all the ones before, i have the Deluxe version its 22 songs of amazement... I completely love it The aforementioned Biblical is only the tip of the iceberg, theres Spanish Radio (possibly my

favourite off of the album) the unique Black Chandelier and A Girl and His Cat... This bands discography is just wonderful, you dont have to agree with me in the slightest but i hope you give them a try... They are definitly worth it, and im kicking myself for not enjoying them earlier.





 Another band that is in some ways an old forgotten favourite, that has been 'rediscovered' is You Me At Six, i was introduced to them with their album Take Off Your

Colours which i got for my birthday off of my dad in 2008, i'd never heard of them before that moment in time... and i became completely enamoured with them... I loved that album, i played it constantly. And by chance when i was clearing out my bedroom yesterday i found it again, and i fell in love all over again. Their music is lovely, Always Attract is a beauty a softer song from them, but if im honest The Rumour was and always will be my favourite its addictive i've played that album atleast 5 times in the last 24 hours... And i've downloaded all the stuff i've missed in the last 6 years of hermitism, i cant remember when i stopped playing them but i feel stupid for forgetting how much i enjoyed their music. Hold Me Down is their 2010 album that i enjoy but i dont like it as an entire peice like i do with Take Off Your Colours and the same goes for Sinners Never Sleep i like the odd song but not its entirety... So last night when i got all these i was abit dissapointed that the newer stuff lacked the punch i was looking for until i stumbled upon their newest album Cavalier Youth, i love it... Its brilliant. All the songs are great, but it is a slightly different sound from TOYC however it doesnt change how good the music is... From the first song the music just sits right, it feels right and fills the gap Hold Me Down and Sinners Never Sleep failed to fill with me... So im glad i 'rediscovered' You Me At Six because they are an old favourite that havnt failed to surprise me.

 
Another band i've 'rediscovered' is Paramore, when my old laptop went caput last summer,  i lost alot of music and im still finding gaps that i cant believe i've forgotten to fill... One of those gaps is Paramore sized and is now completely full to the brim with my favourites... Their newest self titled album Paramore is a delight particularly Still Into You which is my favourite off of the entire album. but i will always love the older stuff like Misery

Buisness, My Heart, Misguided Ghosts and When it Rains... I like all their stuff, they dont have a song i have a strong dislike for but Riot! is and always will be my favourite album by them because it was the album that introduced me to the wonder that is Paramore, and i can listen to it over and over again without getting annoyed. 
Hayley Williams is a very talented singer, and she shines in Paramore... however her solo stuff is also good (her new song with Zedd is amazing) but  i find that she suits Paramore and the style of music they play.





I hope this post hasnt been too boring, and i apologize for my rambles. They are born from my love of music, and as you can tell im really passionate about the things i love. I hope if you havnt listened to these three bands before that you'll give them a try now.
 

Why do you have to change and break my heart?!

Sadly this is not about a break up, i wish i could get a date in this one pony town. This is a post that is caused by some of my favourite bands suddenly changing their sound to something that is so far from what they were originally i still love them but its no longer the same. 

I will always cherish the fond memories i have of bands that have moved into new things, if only bands made music less like people. Then again the music wouldnt be the same because its written about the place the person is at right now, so im hoping that as i mature into a grown up type person i will hopefully love these albums as much as i love the originals. Alas praying to love something with time will be great when the time comes, however it sucks right now because i'm kind of angry at how samey everything is becoming.

Lets look at the main offenders who's music i have loved ever since i was old enough to get a baring for the lyrics, who have helped me through some really shitty times, and who have atleast one song on most of my playlists.

30 Seconds To Mars have been one of my favourite bands since (I'm even listening to them now) i first head A Beautiful Lie their second album in 2005 when my parents split up, I was only 10 and i was hunting for something anything that sounded and made me feel like someone out there felt like i did. The love for the album came after my love for the song, A Beautiful Lie was and still is one of my favourite songs. I stumbled on it purely by accident when i was watching Kerrang to piss off my mum, and ever since then i have had a relentless love for this band... No matter what mood im in i can listen to them.

The lyrics resounded with me in a way that alot of things were failing to do at the time, and as i've grown older the meaning of the lyrics have changed... At the time the lie was that we would still be a family and that everything would be fine, in some ways this isnt a lie anymore but theres no way its the family i wanted at the time... Now i wouldnt change a thing. Now the perfect denial can attributed to many things, none of them most likely what Jared Leto was feeling when he wrote the thing not that it matters to me.As i grew older i listened to the Album as a whole, and it has the majority of my all time favourite songs on there (Modern Myth, The Kill, Saviour, From Yesterday & Battle of one). There isnt actually a song on that album i dislike, and my taste in music has rapidly changed since then.

The next album of theirs This Is War (2009) i was 13 at the time, and once again there were lots of songs i liked on there however it wasnt the total love at first sight baby that A Beautiful Lie was to me, although once again i have never disliked any of the songs (The title song is AMAZING) and i listen to it a ridiculous amount. 

Their self titled first album was reccomnended to me at the same time which i didnt even know existed because in 2002 i was only 6/7 and way too young to listen to anything other than what my parents liked or the squeaky clean boybands on the approved music channel list (Not Kerrang which happens to be my current favourite). I hate to admit it but i've only recently gotten into Their self titled first album (Fallen was the song that did it) When i first heard their first album however i really disliked it, i thought it was too heavy blah blah blah which is stupid because at the time i was into screamo bands and got a black eye in a mosh pit at a We Are The Ocean concert... I think it was mostly dislike because to me it seemed different to what i loved and expected however now i realize they are very similar, which is what i mean by grow to love them... I will still complain however...


I waited with baited breath for the album they released last year, Love, Lust, Faith and Dreams and i was and still am slightly dissapointed with it, i mean the music is so something i would love from any other band. The songs are well written and the music is good its just so DIFFERENT i cant wrap my head around it, and i really dont like it as much as i feel i should. However there are still songs on there that i like Do or Die for example, or Up In The Air and Pire of Varanasi... Okay i think another factor to why i dont like this album as much as the others is the slighty pretensious song titles... The others just havnt appealed to me yet, city of angels is growing on me like a fungus though so im sure in time this album will be much loved just not as much as the others.

Right the next band who released an album last year that hasnt dissapointed me in that i dont like it, i absolutely love it! But more in the way of this is so different why did you go and have to change up our perfect formula.... is Panic! At The Disco

I was 13/14 when i first started listening to them with their 2008 album Pretty Odd (When The day Met The Night anyone?), the song Nine In The Afternoon was my introduction to them and from then on i was hooked, particularly after i discovered their A Fever You Cant Sweat Out Album, Build God And Then We'll Talk is still one of my favourite songs by them... Their lyrics are often risque but the actual music is just so good it is infact like a fever you cant sweat out (great Gym tracks btw) Vices and Virtues is not a favourite album of mine but the Ballad Of Mona Lisa is a great song as is Sarah Smiles, Too Weird To Live and Too Young To Die is brilliant i love the songs, but they are just so far from what this bands quirky sound that appealed to me in the first place you cant help be a little dissapointed especially when they sound so similar to Fall Out Boys new Album even the videos for Miss Jackson and My Friends Know What You Did in the dark and the Videos For This is Gospel and Alone Together are hospital based... Although the songs are different. I hate when bands get all samey and its a shame that this is happened but i do love the new albums so its not a total loss i just like to complain!


Here is a list of other bands who's albums have dissapointed me (not all of these are recent)

The Killers I love alot of their albums (Sams Town and Hot Mess in particular) and their songs have always appealed to me (Mr Brightside, When You Were Young ect) but once again their difference in Day and Age means that i barely listen to that album it just doesnt appeal to me like their other albums have and i havnt even bothered to get any of their newer stuff if they even have any (see what happens when you dissapoint me?)...

Muse are next on my hit list, this band is a family favourite so in some ways im commiting sacrilidge by speaking against them but it just has to be said their newest album The 2nd Law is just not as good as the earlier albums i mean Black Holes and Revelations is my favourite, followed by Absolution and then Origin of Symmetry (not too sure about Showbiz, I do like Sunburn though) thinking about it the only good thing about The Resistance is Uprising and Resistance... So i hope Muse pull their boots up and that their next album is back to the old epics (Plug In Baby, Starlight, Sing For Absolution ect)

3OH!3 im so dissapointed with Omens is no way near the amazing 13 year old rebel me loved WANT or even my 16 year old selfs much beloved Streets Of Gold.

I have seen this band live they are INCREDIBLE the energy, the music, the atmosphere it was just like a dream. I even met Sean the blonde one and he was really nice... I first listened to WANT aged 13 and the lyrics are really not appropriate i loved them, it was pulling away from the squeaky clean music i'd always enjoyed before and carving myself out a place... Maybe some of their lyrics on that album are a little extreme but i still love it to this day (IMNOTYOURBOYFRIENDBABY anyone?) Dont Trust Me might be their best known song but trust me they are a rough diamond although my family disagree's...

Right thats it for now, if i dont end it here i will go on forever, i can complain all day if you let me! If you have any bands to name and shame please do, or if you know any you think i might like please let me know! I'll try out most things and i have a rather ecletic taste (Marylin Manson to Glenn Miller) so im pretty sure i'll like something by them.

Liebster Award

Okay i just got nominated for the Liebster Award by the amazing Sophia De Merci!

I had absolutly no idea about this award until Sophia mentioned it to me on monday, and it sounds really amazing, here are the rules i must follow 

1. Post 11 random facts about yourself

2. Answer the 11 questions the awarding blogger has posted for you

3. Nominate 11 bloggers (with less than 200 followers) for the award and link them in your post
4. Compose 11 questions the nominated bloggers have to answer
5. Let the bloggers know they are nominated

11 Random Facts About Myself?

1. I have a very great love of books, ranging from my childhood favourite The Prophecy Of The Gems by Falvia Bujor 

  

To my current favourite The Hobbit by J.R Tolkien. My love of books is from my childhood where it was always a great adventure to go to the libary every saturday afternoon with my Nana Pauline to pick out a new book that would let me escape to a strange land, this escapism is very much apart of the reason i stil read today. One of my favourite quotes is that 'Man only lives one life however a man that reads lives a thousand'

2. I cry at pretty much every film i watch, and some like the notebook i can even cry thinking about them. I'm entirely too over emotional but i wouldnt change it for the world, this hypersensitivity to media i feel also enhances my love of books, music and film! I will list my top 5 films to cry at.

             1. The Notebook
             2. The Reader
             3.Remember Me
             4.Letters To Juliette
             5.The Green Mile






4. I am an incredible history nerd, and i cant wait to do it for my degree! History has always been a big part of my life with both my grandads intrested in two of my favourite modern areas of history to read up on. Grandad Doug had a love of all things American West and my Grandad Jim never forgave the Germans for bombing his school and killing several children during WW2 so i was always surrounded by an at times biast but passionate love for finding out infomation on the past and how we can learn from it. My favourite history book at the moment is Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown as it very detailed, incredibly interesting and is fairly easy to understand unlike some other history books i've read in the past. I also enjoy historical filmumentaries like Band of Brothers

      made by HBO which despite being a made for tv film is actually very historically accurate. And my favourite purely factual documentary at the moment is Andrew Marrs The Making Of Modern Britain which is also a book that is a very hard read because its so incredibly verbose. 






5. When i was little i always wanted to be an airline stewardess, despite having a crippling fear of flying. Oh and if i couldnt be an air stewardess i wanted to be Wednesday Addams

6. I have a massive soft spot for babies and young children, i always pretend to hate them unless they are family but in the end i am a big softie who loves nothing more than entertaining teacup humans.

7. I LOVE  to cook, i've been baking aslong as i can remember every saturday after coming home from the libary once again with Nana Pauline and using Grandad Doug as a taste tester,

sadly they have both passed away now but the things they taught me will stay with me all my life! I still think baking is my favourite area of cooking, but i now enjoy experimenting with savoury flavours and i absolutly love to cook for people. Especially my friends because they are always there for me and i feel that the best way to repay them for that is to ply them with as much food as possible.





 8. I'm an absolute TV addict, if i watch a series i watch them all in a matter of days!
My favourites so far have been Game of Thrones, True Blood, The Vampire Diaries, Gossip Girl, Friends, New Girl and of course Criminal Minds!
9. I just used HTML for the first time to align those photos big thanks to This Blog for teaching me how!
  
10. I have a slight chocolate addiction, my favourite chocolate at the moment is just plain ol Galaxy, but last month it was Malteesers bar chocolate so this may well change in the future!

11. I am terrible at maths, i barely passed my GCSE'S  and use a calculator for everything but the very basics, my brain is not maths orientated sorry!

 

 Now on to Sophia's Questions!

1. What is your all-time favourite place to go? 

My favourite place in the entire world to go is the Greek Dodecanese set of Islands! As all of them are incredibly beautiful and have some lovely cuisine.

 

2. How would you describe your blog? 

My blog is a strange mix of everything i like, there is no sort of pattern its just a mish-mash of things i like and enjoy.

 

3. If you could spend as much as you want on one online shopping side, which one would it be?

It would have to be Amazon because they have books, dvds, aswell as having outlets for my favourite shops (American Apparel) and designer options such as Kurt Geiger shoe's.

4. What is your favourite era in terms of music?

It's got to be the 90's for me, im a sucker for the super sweet boybands of the decade (NSYNC) as well as the grungier side. I have a love for Nirvana my favourite song being Heart Shaped Box or Lithium. or Possibly the early Noughties as my favourite bands include 30 Seconds To Mars, Hinder, Three Days Grace ect.

5. Reading or watching TV?

Depends on my mood, reading is for when i can concerntrait. Tv is for when i need to switch off and focus on something else.

6. Who is your favourite blogger and why?

David Crystal because he is informative and interesting, not to mention its a great help with my ALEVELS. He also picks out idea's that i never would of thought of.

7.When you go shopping, what do you end up buying every single time?

I always end up buying socks or tights, some form of hoisery because lets be honest you can NEVER  have enough pairs and there are some pretty special options out there!

8. What is your opinion about statement necklaces?

I think statement necklaces are okay aslong as you have a simple outfit, i dislike statement pieces when people are already wearing a bold outfit because your jewellery should ALWAYS  compliment what your wearing not over power it.

9. Since when do you blog, and what was the main reason you started blogging?

I started blogging just last week, and my main reason for starting a blog was that my friends that have them absolutly love them and i had alot of time on my hands and thought it would be fun.

10. Is there any fashion era you would want to revive?

No i wouldnt like to revive a definitive era, because im all for mixing style. As fashion should be a reflection of who you are and no one person is ever just one moment of fashion history.

11. What is your favourite TV show and why?

My favourite TV show has got to be Criminal Minds because i can watch the episodes over and over again without getting bored.

 

My top 11 Bloggers!

1. Dolly Bakes 

2. Fabulicious Food 

3. Lotties Little Kitchen

4. The Little Reader Library 

5. Feed Me Books Now 

6.All Dolled Up

7. The Bode Boutique

8. Florabundance 

9. Josephine Jade 

10. Infinite Beauty Blog 

11. Louminous

My 11 Questions!

1. Whats are you passionate about?

2. Whats your favourite film, tv show and book?

3. Why do you blog?

4. If you could buy anything from any shop what would it be?

5. Whats your favourite beauty item?

6. How would you describe your style?

7. Whats your favourite food?

8. Who or What inspired you to blog?

9. Whats your favourite piece of clothing?

10. Whats your best piece of life advice?

11. If you could do anything what would it be?

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My January essentials.

I am very much a self confessed shop-a-holic, and in the last few week i have spent more than enough money on clothes...

One of my pieces is beautiful and delicate, and will be perfect for going out during the summer, its by Day Birger Et Mikkelsen and is a really soft femmine sheer number
It has really delicate lace detailing around the bottom, shoulders and back... The lightweight fabric also makes its glide over your curves rather than sticking to them like glue making it alot more subtle than some of the other cuts on that are popular at the moment.

I also got a beautiful pair of shoes from Topshop in the sale which was fantastic, and if you didnt have a browse well you missed out on some real savings.

I also induldged my secret nerd side that has a huge love for anythingTolkien with a really cute Bilbo Baggins quote tshirt from Qwertee.com

And also from Qwertee i ordered a cute Disney/Marvel Avengers 'Thor Story' shirt, it mixes my insane love of Norse Mythology, Super Hero's and of course DISNEY!!!

I have also ordered some more tee's off of Redbubble.com, that will be arriving soon and i will post them as they do! And I treated myself once more on the MarsStore as I have loved 30STM since I was twelve or thirteen, and first heard A Modern Myth and the lyrics just clicked with me and they've been one of my favourite bands ever since!


However not all of my January essentials have been new purchases,

My beautiful Doc's have been a staple of almost every outfit, I have the Black Serena's with the white lining which means I had absolutly no pain when breaking them in which im told is a miracle!!! This makes me love them even more.

I also recycled some of my old jewellery to mix my new style with some old cute bits that I had forgotten about til i had a sort out after christmas...
This Amethyst  and Silver filgree necklace was given to me for my 16th birthday by my mum and it was brought from an antique shop in norwich as i've always had a thing for older jewellery

This silver Winnie The Pooh charm bracelet has been in my ownership for as along as i can remember and it has always been a piece thats versatile and adds a cute edge to an outfit because sometimes large mordern bracelets like my pandora can be overpowering and this is very delicate and doesnt draw too much attention but is actually really detailed when you look closer.

Another forgotten favourite is my Diesel Loverdose perfume, the aniseed scent is beautiful and wintery making me feel all warm just smelling it, its also alot heavier than the perfumes or lotions that i usually go for... I'm much more of a fruity person when it comes to scents but theres something about this perfume that just clicks with me in winter which sadly means this amazing perfume is often forgotten for the rest of the year, which so happens to be the reason i've made it a January essential is because i've only just found it again!

And last but certainly not least is something that i've made myself, it took six months to knit but if i say so myself has turned out very well.

The bright colours are a nice change to the dark and dreary colours that I tend to lean towards in the winter months and will contrast quite nicely with my wax jacket, when i finally get round to completing the finishing touches.

So i hope you like my January essentials even if you dont neccassarily agree with them, hope you enoyed reading this piece and look up the next one!

My families favourite cake recipe!

Right this beautiful Rum Cake has been made four times since i discovered the recipie last august

This cake is high in sugar, butter and alcohol content but it is beautifully delicious and stays very moist for ages... possibly due to the first time i made it i made a HUGE mistake by adding six eggs to the batter instead of the correct three... But the next time i made it properly and it seemed to dry out alot quicker and wasnt as moist in general and i've never had problems with a moistness of my cakes before and i've been baking for aslong as i can remember due to two Nan's who couldnt resist teaching me a passion for food that is still very much apart of my life as you can see. By the aforementioned Rum Cake.

The original recipie is here:  http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/cajun-rum-layer-cake-with-pecan-rum-glaze.html

I know its in american measurements but i have treated myself to an adorable cups set from Adanams of Southwold Kitchen and Cellar store

However as mentioned above i have changed the recipe slightly so i will repost it below, however all credits for the original go to the cooking channel and Treva Chadwell

Right first things first, barely anyone in my family actually likes whipped cream so i dont bother with making the sweetend cream, we just serve it with icecream (Kellys Honeycomb is particularly nice) but regular vanilla would also work well.

Also i colour code EVERYTHING it helps me to organize things if i use a colour for each modular step so here's a key so you under stand the methods to my madness!

Key

Cake Ingredients
Caramel Ingredients
Timings
Temperature

For the cake, you will need

 2 sticks of unsalted butter / 226g (I use President as i feel its lighter, but any brand will do)
3 cups of all-purpose flour (but i used self raising, the time in the picture because we had no plain left and it worked just fine) 
1 1/2 cups of sugar
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of fine salt
1/2 cup of milk/ 120ml (i've used unsweetend soya one time and it worked just aswell as normal milk)
1/2 a cup / 120ml of white rum (i used a splash more because my nan likes it stronger)
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract (I've used essence cause the extract is damn expensive and it turned out fine)
6 large eggs (Helps it keep moist but you will need to cook it for alittle bit longer)

For the Caramel Glaze you will need

1 cup of sugar / 200g (i've used white granulated sugar, and i've also used brown both worked well, however white was my personal favourite)
3/4 cup of heavy cream/ 180ml
1/4 cup of rum (i used a half by accident the first time and it still tasted amazing)
3 large egg yolks (A yolker is a brilliant tool, i reccomend buying one if you dont have one)
1 cup of pecans roughly chopped (a small bag from the super market works well)
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Right now onto the cake method!   

(You will need an electric mixer, i've used a hand mixer and a stand both are fine)

Preheat your oven to 375 F or 190 C - Grease two 9inch tins (grease paper or butter either is fine)
Beat the sugar and butter until fluffy
In a spout jug mix milk, rum and vanilla
Combine baking powder, flour and salt in a seperate bowl
Add the eggs one at a time (takes ages but is a neccassary step)
Add half the flour mix on a low setting
 then slowly stream in the milk mixture (the batter may appear to break but to recombines so it's all good)
Add remaining flour mix and mix til you have a completely combined batter (it will smell heavenly due to rum)

Split the batter between the two tins (Then lick the bowl and spoon as a treat, its delicious trust me)
 Bake until golden round the edges and you can removed a skewer without any batter/cake coating it
      Its around 25 - 30 minutes but because of the increase of eggs it can take up to 45
At around 15minutes in switch the two pans around so they bake evenly (and if still in after 30 switch again)
Cool in the pans for 5minutes, then remove and let cool (i wait until they are slightly warm when i add the caramel)

Caramel method

Stir all the ingredients together (minus the peacans) on a LOW heat in a small saucepan stirring constantly til it coats the back of the spoon and rolls off like a thin syrup (around 5 minutes)
Stir in peacans and continue to stir it goes a lovely golden colour (white sugar makes this a paler gold) (around another 5minutes)
Remove from heat and leave to the side for about 5minutes
Pour half onto the first layer, all the way to the edges, the drippier the better
then place the next layer ontop of the caramel goodness before pouring on the rest of the caramel

Then eat it, my family ate around half on the day after and then myself, my mother and my nan ate the other half over around four days it wasnt in a tin just on a plate wrapped in tinfoil and it was fine.

I hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as my family does!