Do Blonde's Really Have More Fun? A Social Experiment Conducted By Me.

Oh Hey..... 

"See you later!" you say, with a quick kiss as you part ways, knowing full well that this is the last time you will see each other. In the modern dating world, people are disposable, you can meet them and have a great time and then never hear from them again. Welcome to the generation of instant gratification.

Alongside the rise of the digital dating age comes impatience and shallowness, and as millennials, we have embraced both quite happily and fully. Gone are the days where you approach someone in a bar and ask to buy them a drink, now any chance of a connection is based on shallow assumptions and how you portray yourself in a few photos and a sentence or two. In spite of this, we are still the generation who has less sex than our predecessors, as sad as it is apparently we are all glued to our phones too much to care. Regardless of this, I thought I would have some fun and see if one of the old stereotypes still rings true and that is - do blonde's really have more fun?

The Experiment 

Ok, so I would like to point out that this experiment was in no way a fair or scientific, it was just a bit of fun. I had my hair done recently and chucked in some blonde highlights, with a clever bit of lighting and a good photo angle, I managed to make myself look blonde (see above). Then I chucked the photo up on Bumble and quite literally let the games begin. Now I know some of you may be thinking - how unfair, she is lying to the guys, not being her true self, guys have feelings too etc, so let me just say right here and now that I was open and honest with each of them, and at the end of the day I didn't know any of them and they didn't know me so I don't feel at all bad. The aim of this was to see if I got more matches or comments with my blonde photo or not. I asked about 50 guys, and granted not all of them got back to me, some of them I think saw it as a test and ran for the non-existent digital hills, but a fair few did and what they came back with made me laugh.

The Findings 

This was a lot more fun than I initially anticipated and I even managed to get a couple of dates out of it, so win-win for me. Although the guys I asked told me the answers that they thought I wanted to hear, I still got some great comments back. To be fair to them, though, if I was asked I would most likely do the same. Here are some of my favourite answers:

So Do Blondes Really Have More Fun? 

So the answer to this question is, in my opinion, probably not. However, as I said previously the answers I got were probably what boys thought I wanted to hear. Anyone who bothered to look at the rest of my photos would realise that I am without a doubt definitely a brunette, and that is something I won't be changing anytime soon. This was a completely ridiculous experiment to conduct, and my findings very unreliable, but having said that I did find it interesting how guys responded to the questions I asked them. Obviously, it shouldn't matter what colour hair someone has, but seeing as you base your decision on whether to talk to someone on a mere photo, it's something that people now pay attention to. I always thought I had a "type", but recently I have been on a few dates with someone who is probably the antithesis of what I usually go for so I guess it's all about getting rid of the so-called 'labels' and just going with the flow! So get out there and have fun guys, you never know, the unexpected might surprise you!

To Hat or not to Hat: A Critique of Female Wedding Attire

Any thoughts?

I am not a fashion blogger, I have never been a fashion blogger and I have absolutely no interest in ever becoming a fashion blogger, so this is my first (and maybe last depending on the reaction) blog on clothes. After all, I grew up on a farm wearing jeans, a t-shirt and no shoes; the first time I came into contact with 'fashion' was when I was shipped off to boarding school and even then it was only the classic public school clone uniform of Jack Wills and Abercrombie and Fitch (happy to say I haven't set foot in either of these stores for several years now). It was a weird moment in my life when I attempted to get into it, I bought the hoodie and the trackie bottoms for about £100 and I started to say 'yah' at the end of each sentence- luckily I remained a fraud and it didn't stay with me, so yeah, I'm not exactly the next fashionista.

Anyway, at some point in the last couple of years and without me realising it, my Facebook feed has become flooded with engagement announcements and wedding photos. I, ladies and gentlemen have reached THAT stage in my life, but don't worry I am hardly sitting on my bed, looking at my left hand and dreaming of Prince Charming. No, I am far more concerned about how long it will take me to see the world and how many years it will be until I can afford to get a pug puppy.  This is who I am, which probably is why I actually find it so irritating putting in so much effort for someone else's "big day" (cynic alert!), I will however, leave my cynicism of marriage for another blog post.

Finding a dress: 
So first things first, my desperate attempt to find a dress, can someone please answer the question - WHY IS EVERYTHING FLORAL? I mean I'm not against floral exactly, but I kid you not - every single 'wedding' garment has flowers on it (see above), it's the done thing apparently. Then there are the other rules that you have to follow. For example how much white is too much? Interestingly before religion got involved, and Queen Victoria wore a white dress, brides traditionally wore coloured dresses to show their status and wealth, and the bridesmaids wore white as it was considered a plain colour. Technically now, women wear it because it's the done thing, not because they are signalling their virginity and purity - I mean it's the 21st century guys, 'purity' doesn't exist - get over it! The list is endless. Sometimes it really sucks being a girl, maybe I should just buy a suit, break tradition and get it over with.

To hat or not to hat
The next thing to consider is do I have to have something on my head? After I got over my initial eye-roll at the fact that hat etiquette is a thing (only the British right?) I decided to do a bit of research into why. Turns out the tradition of women wearing hats to weddings actually dates back to when the Anglican Church required women to cover their heads in church (go figure) and has just developed into a weird fashionable tradition for British ladies. And get this, there are rules to hat etiquette, my dear friend - RULES!! Most of them are completely ridiculous but the two which make me laugh/cry a little bit are:
1- The mother of the groom should always wear a hat which is smaller than the mother of the bride
2 - The mother of the bride dictates when other ladies remove their hats and fascinators, when she has hers on - you have yours on...*cries with laughter*
To me this all seems way too outdated, the only hat I feel happy wearing is my safari hat, and something tells me that I might be a bit out of place in one of those...

The Shoes 
And here is where I fall down completely. I don't really wear heels - ever! Besides the fact that they are male invention designed to make women's legs look skinner and make it harder for them to run away, I just find them unconformable and besides they impede on my epic dancing skills.

I think I might just have to bite the bullet and find one outfit which is 'wedding worthy' and then to the unthinkable and wear it to every upcoming wedding I have.

Wish me luck!

Feminist Revolution? Hang On A Minute...

So today has been a fun day for British politics hasn't it? For the second time in British history and the first time in 26 years, we have a female Prime Minister, and of course the internet has gone crazy - from people comparing her to Maggie Thatcher (mainly because she has boobs as opposed to balls) to people raging about how we are on the brink of a feminist revolution. But are we actually all now riding a wave to equal pay and gender equality? I don't think so.

So how did this happen?
I am going to be quite frank here - lately in the world of politics men have really managed to mess everything up! Not only that, they did it and then they ran for the hills, leaving others to clean up their devastating mess. Now don't get me wrong, I was jumping for joy when, the sly peroxide weasel Boris Johnson, cowardly ran to the sidelines, and was taking to the streets singing when Gove realised, that no he didn't have any friends, but this joy deteriorated quite quickly when I realised that once again women were going to pull the short straw. On the one hand we had Leadsom, a politician who would be better placed in the 1920's with her tasteless jibes at childless women and her quite frankly ridiculous attempt at being the 'Mother of Britain', on the other hand the Home Secretary, penned by the media as the "bloody difficult woman" Theresa May. Leadsom pulled out, and Theresa May became Prime Minister with no public vote - go figure.

So there we have it: Thesea May for PM, Nicola Sturgeon for Scotland and potentially Angela Eagle for Labour. Women are the new decision makers so why aren't we running to the streets quoting Emmeline Pankhurst? Well the answer to that is that what is happening here should by no means by misinterpreted as a feminist revolution.

Why is this bad for Feminism?
We have a new Prime Minister, and she is a woman, but I'm afraid just because she doesn't have something dangling between her legs, doesn't mean she has great record for equality.  The Conservatives are known to openly shun the all-women shortlists and gender balanced candidate lists favoured by Labour and Green, and as a consequence they are the party with the least women, and yes a couple made it through, but more would have done if there was such a thing as equality in politics. Theresa May, the longest running Home Secretary in British history, openly calls herself a feminist and has worked very hard to get to where she is in her career, but did she do it through fighting for change and representing equality? Nope, sadly she she had to fit the mould and imitate the male leaders before her. In the words of Emmeline Pankhurst "men make the moral code and they expect women to accept it", and accept it May did.

I don't want this to sound like a personal attack on May herself, unfortunately sometimes as women we have to act like men to be heard, I have done it myself so I understand why she did what she did. On the other hand however, there are certain things which she has done politically which means I, personally cannot accept her as the feminist leader this country so desperately needs. Throughout her career in politics May has constantly voted and implemented cuts which directly make women's lives harder, she was a strong supporter of bedroom tax and she also voted for Universal Credit - a policy which gives financial support to a sole member of a family, thus putting those trapped in abusive relationships at risk. In addition to this, she defended immigration detention, renewed contracts with Serco (despite sexual violence reports) and deported thousands of people. She did a lot of this whilst being Minister for Women and Equality....erm anyone else see the problem with this?

Sadly it is these acts like these which got her the backing that she needed, and if feminist progress is measured in acts, then May's speak loud and clear.

So what does the future hold? 
Your guess is as good as mine. There is a lot of unrest in the country due to the outcome of the referendum, and although May has said and I quote "Brexit means Brexit" there is a rocky road ahead for her. May does have a few good sides, for example she was behind a huge movement to tackle violence against women, she also co-founded Women2Win, an organisation set up to encourage more female Conservative MP's (the fact that this is needed speaks volumes),so she isn't completely draconian, though she isn't far off. May is also expected to elect several women into her cabinet in a bid to create a more gender-balanced government, which is a step in the right direction.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is the future of our country, a woman yes, but a woman who has been forced to embody the 'male Conservative' qualities that we are quite frankly fed up with. Although everyone has the right to call themselves a feminist, if you are in a position of influence then you simply cannot be a true feminist if you vote for things which affect the chances of reaching gender equality, if you do not help those in need and if you turn a blind eye to whats happening around you.

It will be interesting to see what she does in her new position of power, will we see the gender pay gap close? Will we see more equal opportunities arise for women? Will we be on able to crash through that glass ceiling? Only time will tell; I would hold your horses, fellow 21st century suffragettes, I'm afraid it will be a long battle ahead.


*Second Image from Kotin -  Shutterstock 

Women Of The World Week

So I know it has been a while since my last post, but I have been super busy with my new job and I've also been knocked over by the good old English cold and have been doing everything possible to get rid of it. Lying in front of the TV for 48 hours anyone? Not that I'm complaining – you would have to pay me to leave the house in this weather!

Anyway back to the reason for this post – today for those of you who don’t know is International Woman’s Day! Yay! And to make this news even better, I am going to see Caitlin Moran tonight for her book launch at the Southbank Centre in London.

This week is Women of the World week (WOW) which aims to encompass everything for every woman. There are talks on the gender pay gap, women’s opportunities, talks from women who have successfully broken the glass ceiling etc. Last year they also had a woman’s weightlifting competition and talks for young girls on why they feel like they can’t go into careers which are ‘for boys’ like mechanics and scientists. Basically this week is just my cup of tea as it provides a space where people can go and openly talk about the issues facing gender equality.

There is a lot of naivety surrounding gender equality, with quite a lot of people wrongly believing that it’s not an issue.  I have friends who have been brought up with an aim to be a housewife, despite a great education, I have friends who think that there is something wrong with them because they are single rather than embracing it as many men do. We still live in a society where girls are deemed 'sluts' for being sexually free whereas men are 'lads'. I, to this day have never seen a TV advert for cleaning where a man is doing the hoovering or washing up, and it’s not even worth getting me started on the idea that women need to change their name and be ‘given away’ when they get married.  So for me the problem of gender equality is very much alive.

But on top of this, there is the elephant in the room – a huge reason to tackle gender equality from a young age. I think the main problem here is that if I think about my female friends, my sisters and their friends I can’t think of a single one, myself included, who hasn’t been sexually assaulted in some form or another. This should be enough of a reason to stand up to change, to stand up for those who are unable to do it for themselves, to stand up to the injustice and victim blaming which has become a part of our society. We live in a society where girls are scared to walk home by themselves at night, scared to talk to strangers and if they get assaulted scared to report it. It’s not their fault.

So make a change, sign up for campaigns such as Emma Watson’s HeForShe, look out for your female friends, your sisters and stand up when you head people making sexist jokes and if my writing hasn’t given you any insight then these videos should do it for you:

Food for thought everyone!

Enjoy Women on the World Week!

NB:Images are not mine and were sourced from Google Images, Video's from YouTube. 

'The Best Things in Life are Free' - So Can Someone Direct Me To Them Please?

I think I have finally managed to get back into the habit of living in London! I have made my peace with the cold, bitter and frankly icy winds, got re-acquainted with my surroundings and even went for my first run! Score!

However according my my beautiful bank balance, going 'Made in Chelsea' crazy in London is completely out of the question! This is the one big problem with travelling for months (even with a bit of freelance work to help me out) and being out of the office for around 7 months. I have spent all of my money! Admittedly it got spent on skydiving, bungee jumping, island hopping and drinking endless coffees in places like Melbourne and Dubai but still!!!

Chilling! 

So now I find myself back in good ol' London wondering how to make the most of it on my diminishing funds. I luckily have an exciting new internship lined up (whoop whoop) which will take up my lovely long day hours but what about the evenings and weekends? Am I going to sit around like a hermit, glaring at the weather? I think not - I shall get the most out of London, even if it bleeds me dry (a high possibility in this case)!

So where to start? Theatre? Food? Fun Stuff? So much to do so little money! But it can be done! It shall be done...

Basically a whole meal right there! #boroughmarket 

Theatre: so I signed up for pretty much every single theatre discount mailing list possible and it worked a dream - I was in the theatre on Saturday night watching a great show for a mere tenner! I refuse to live in the city of theatre and not try and spend every living moment seeing it! The best websites in my opinion are Discount Theatre, Amazon Tickets and Love Theatre.

Food: Restaurants are totally over-rated in my opinion! Its all about the markets. Not cool enough for you? Then Street Feast it is! I went to one in Shoreditch the other day, and even though I don't really fit the Shoreditch mould (at all) the food was delish and super cheap!

Fun Stuff: Ok so I hate paying for things in London, I am much more interested in going to free events, I mean who isn't? And my trusty companion in this is of course Time Out Magazine. My new aim is to try and do a free thing at least twice a week! Plan!

Dinner Time! YUM

So that's it for now, I am going to go back to eating my soup and ryvita (yep that's all I can afford) *insert sad face emoji here*

The Joy's of Job Applications

So here I am back in cold, miserable, rainy England. My travels are over and after recovering from a heart attack when I looked at my recent bank balance I decided that it's probably time to head back to reality and start looking for a job.

I'm sure there's one just around the corner... 

Oh the joys of strolling through job after job, constantly re-doing my CV and applying for jobs with the small hope that at least some of them might bother to reply. Wishful thinking I know, but at least it gets me out of bed in the morning, even if it is with a hat, scarf, gloves and hot water bottles (and that's just on the way to the kitchen), did I mention it was cold?

The current temperature of my flat right now....  

Oh how I thought my life would be different by now, back when I graduated I thought by now I would at least be ruling half the world. Funny how things never go to plan isn't it? I feel like it's far more fun to get stuck into a good new Netflix series and slowly make my way through the hot chocolate in my cupboard. Besides I want to start working on a book and continue my writing and that will make me happy for the rest of my life. The right job will come along!

Simple right?

Wrong! Today everything is about being proactive, picking up the phone and calling that person in HR who never called you back, its about slogging away and hoping that at least something will happen. Yet at the same time you have to know what you want, which not everyone does, and I think that you have to be picky. After spending a year and a half in a career which I hated its time to be more selfish. I am not going to jump into any job and I'm going to focus on the right career and the right company. I know that unfortunately a letter wont come through my door offering me the best job in the world (if it didn't happen with Hogwarts, it won't happen now)!

If I play dead maybe I can get away from reality.....

So I guess with my little rant out of the way it's time to head back to the good old applications and hopefully next time I write a quick something I will be further along the line and not lying on the sofa throwing malteasers in the air and seeing if I can catch them in my mouth.

It's a Pride Thing: June Round Up Part 1

Its a Pride Thing

Once a year the streets of London overflow with rainbows and groups of people all chanting and dancing their way from Baker Street to Trafalgar Square. The reason? Gay Pride of course. June 27^th saw London’s 30^th annual gay pride march since gay activists joined the miners in 1985 in a march for equality and freedom. Since then the march has gained international recognition, with thousands of people taking to the streets for this iconic day.

This year saw a new message sent out to the masses, a day after America legalised gay marriage, men, women and children came to London to show their support for love conquering legislation. The march is open to all groups and shows no distinction towards background, race or religion, one of the most vocal groups involved were Muslims chanting “we’re here, we’re queer and we don’t drink beer”. How great is that?

If you happen to be in London at the end of June, then cancel all of your plans, wear as many bright clothes as possible and take to the centre of London to join the crowds and cheer on the parade. The parade in London beats all the others due to the volume of people who attend, I spoke to a couple of people who were there on the day who had travelled from all over the world to join the parade and add their voice to pride. Interestingly several of the gay members of the parade were saying how pride was changing from being just about homosexuality and becoming more of a celebration of being yourself and accepting who you are.

One thing to remember though is that it is first and foremost a parade, although it still has a political edge to it, the parade has come a long way since 1985 and is now an excuse to grab a bunch of friends, head down to Trafalgar square and sing Katy Perry songs to your hearts content.   

Until Next Time 

x 

Expat Diaries 

International Beckett Season

Ok I'm taking the plunge here and writing about something which is completely different to what I normally write about, and although I know that it is unlikely to appeal to some of you, but I love it so had to write about it.

Most people's reaction when I start talking about Samuel Beckett and Existentialism 

The International Beckett Season is currently in full flow at the London Barbican Centre (I know so exciting!!!) so I have been finding ever more random ways to save money in the hope of seeing some of it! If you don't like Samuel Beckett (not to be confused with Thomas Beckett - the old arch bishop of Canterbury who was murdered, and who you probably learnt about in history) then best to stop reading this now. 

The reason I am writing about this is because I splashed out recently and got some tickets to see the well known Sydney Theatre Group's production of the acclaimed Waiting for Godot. I love this play - and if you ask me why, I probably won't be able to tell you. There is something about it: I like the way that the play is about nothing and everything at once and how it makes you challenge and question the core of existence itself. 

I wrote my thesis on the work of Beckett, so I am quite a nerd when it comes to this, but I note that its not everyone's cup of tea. I was once lucky enough to see a version with Sir Ian McKellen and Sir Patrick Stewart! Amazing doesn't cover it! 

Haymarket Theatre back in '09

The recent performance at the Barbican was brilliant, the interdependence between the two sets of characters was carried out effortlessly and the the big climax of the first act (Lucky's speech) had me, along with the rest of the audience, on the edge of my seat. 

Incredibly uninteresting picture of my thesis 

I have often heard Samuel Beckett described in the same category of marmite: you cant be on the edge with him, you either love the way he writes or hate it. Most of my friends and family tend to be the latter, as his existential writing can be rather boring if you are not into that kind of stuff. 

I wanted to challenge you guys, if you haven't read Beckett, heard of him or are even vaguely interested in him. I challenge you to either go and see a play, watch one of his films online or simply pick up a copy of Waiting for Godot or Not I and see how it makes you feel, because I guarantee it will make you feel something. 

For the really brave of you I dare you to go and see a performance of Not I, which entails you sitting in a pitch black room being able to see only a moving mouth, muttering continuously and incoherently. 

Besides, if you hate it then you can always just go and grab yourself a drink to help you return to normality!!

If you need to get a jolt back to normality... 

For any of you out there who have seen a Beckett performance - what did you think? 

An Evening with Stephen Fry

We all know who he is - that well spoken T.V personality who has accomplished just about everything one sets out to accomplish, but as much as we see him on the screen, glaring out at us from the windows of Waterstone's, or popping up from time to time in the News, he seems to be quite allusive to the mere public (a.k.a me).

But the other night I was lucky enough to go to a lecture given by the one and only Stephen Fry, and even better it was a lecture organised by my old university on a subject which interests me profoundly: The Life and Times of Oscar Wilde.

For those of you who know the history of Oscar Wilde, you know that once being 'outed' as being a homosexual he was incarcerated for some time in Reading Prison. Hence the University of Reading, in conjunction with the local council invited Stephen to give a lecture on the works and life of the famed author.

I will be the first to admit that usually in lectures I tend to move in and out of a state of consciousness, barely listening to anything anyone has to say and jumping every time someone makes a sudden noise. This, however, couldn't have been further from my actions last week. I was attentive, responsive and overall the perfect student.

What makes a lecture worth listening to is the speaker and the passion that speaker has for the subject. Stephen Fry was not shy about going into depth and detail about how the work of Oscar Wilde touched him as a child and continues to do so to this day. How his works from The Importance of Being Earnest to his later ballard's and essays, all spoke to him and all gave him meaning during his life.

He quoted passage after passage to us, bringing them to life and somehow moving the audience with him. His descriptions were wonderfully vivid making us laugh whilst describing Wilde's younger days and despair when talking about his later life and his time in prison.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I got the tickets, I only had ideas of what Stephen Fry would be like in person, but this experience is not one I am likely to forget any time soon. I will definitely be on the lookout for any more lectures he is speaking at, in the meantime though - guess who just went out to buy the entire works of Oscar Wilde?

Running around Clapham dressed as an Elephant and Checking out Camden

So there we go! It’s done and over for another year, I dressed up in and Elephant onesie and made my way around Clapham Common, stopping only at the watering holes. And you know what? It was actually really fun, there is something quite funny about running around in broad daylight dressed as an elephant while normal people go about their day and stare at you as if you are completely crazy.

The great thing was there were 292 of us! Yep that’s right – 292 elephants running around the common. A complete sight for sore eyes! 

Now I won’t lie, running in what can only be described as England’s attempt at a Sahara like heat in a onesie was challenging. Very challenging. And I am pretty sure I got sun burnt, but hey anything in the name of ellies!

After we finished, we went for an incredible slap up meal at the famed Breads etc.  which serves brunch complete with your own toaster and at your table and unlimited bread – just what you need after a stampede.

Seeing as it was such a glorious weekend, what better way to celebrate than to head over to Primrose Hill and just chill in the sun? I had never been to Primrose Hill before but I had seen it come up a million times on Instagram so really thought it was about time to go and check it out. It was 100% worth it, you get amazing views over London and the weather made it a great way to pass a lazy Sunday afternoon. And of course it is now hat season, so I can get away with wearing my big hats again! Joy!

To finish off the perfect weekend, what better way than to have a wonder around the quirky stores in Camden and grab a bite to eat from one of the many food stalls selling their wares? 

Cream Teas, Ghosts and the Locomotion - May Round up

Well what a month this has been - the word hectic doesn't even begin to cover it! This is probably partly to do with the fact that we had two bank holidays this month (how spoilt are we?) and usually this means you get to rest - but apparently there is no rest for the wicked!
Bank holiday numero uno was spent in Bedfordshire (don't worry I had no idea it existed either) and it was the perfect amount of relaxing and exploring over the long weekend.The first thing that I got treated to was a surprise cream tea by the boyfriend, as any of you who know me know that I have a weakness for scones with jam and cream - I just cant say no!

It was in a really cute little cafe that you wouldn't ever go to unless you knew that it was there as its on a small residential road which is easily missable. However, once you have been there once, I'm certain you will be back for seconds.

The Culture Bit..

Now as per usual, old buildings were involved. Got to love an old building or two hey? This time it was somewhere called Wimpole Hall, not a place I had ever heard of before, but cool all the same. It's a national trust building, which immediately means that there is going to be an interesting bit of history here or there, and it didn't disappoint.

I feel like I should make a confession here though - the bit I enjoyed the most had very little to do with the house itself, instead I was fascinated by an exhibition of WW1 propaganda cartoons they had on one of the top floors, it was combined with some very sad stories of people who lived and died in the war and was definitely worth seeing. Oh and it had a farm - which meant lambs!

The Theatre Bit

So I think that it may have been blindingly obvious over the past few months that I live and breath for the theatre and quite literally a month does not go by when I don't find myself prancing around the Westend getting overly excited at the prospect of a new play or musical. And this month was no different.

The Woman In Black

We've all seen the film right? Have a vague idea of what its about? Well my fascination with this story came about 7 years ago when I stumbled across the book in a dusty old book store, and it quite literally terrified me. since then no one has seemed to be able to get it right, the film with Daniel Radcliffe a disaster - and they changed the ending! #nothappy! And the theatre production gets an OK from me. The actors were incredible, the set was fantastic - but I am not sure it was as scary as it could have been - jumpy yes, scary - eh not so much.

Carole King - Beautiful

It is very rare that I see something in the theater which makes me laugh, smile, sing along and cry all at the same time, and its rarer still when I don't know what to expect. I knew who Carole King was of course, but I had no idea she wrote so many songs - including the all time favorite - The Locomotion! It was quite honestly fantastic, I cant really fault it - the singing was brilliant, the acting incredible, the story well written and beautifully portrayed. If you only go and see one musical this year - this should be it!

I can't quite believe that its June already! What is going on? Where is the year going? I had a mini freak out earlier this month when I realised that I'm 25 in 10 months!! So I have 10 months to do everything on my list which I had put aside for the last 6 years, naively thinking - meh being 25 is ages away!! So over the next 10 months be prepared to read some interesting things from me as I work my way through this list and try to complete as many fateful things as possible before March 2016!!

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Rugby, Childhood Dreams and Rubber Duck Racing

So it's that time of year again. That time when hoards of people pour off the train at Twickenham, dressed in outfits each one more inventive than the next. That's right you guessed it - it's time for the rugby sevens!!

This is the sporting event of the season which is not to be missed! And I will let you into a secret - it has nothing to do with the sport. I know that some of you out there would wholeheartedly disagree with me, but a lot of people dont go for the rugby they go for a day of drunkeness and bantar. I of course went to support Kenya, who I can only say played appaullingly 40-0 to Engalnd. I mean really??? Anyway I got over my sorrow in the only way I could - supporting anyone but England.

The theme of this years sevens was... Wait for it.. Out of space! In a nutshell this meant that I was surrounded by various Darth Vadars and Dr. Who's for the day. Standard for a Saturday right?

It was a pretty good day and if you haven't been before I strongly advise you to get your ticket for next year! I even got burnt by the sun (unknown in England) but that's just how good it was!!

Moving swiftly on from rugby antics, and continuing the theme of sevens, I crossed off one of my childhood dreams last night and saw S Club 7 perform in the O2 arena. Now any of you guys who are currently rolling their eyes or shaking their heads - don't. I knew you all grew up listening to them, no need to lie to me!

It was amazing - thank you for asking! And yes in case you were wondering I did know the words to every signal song :p and even though the photo above is slightly fuzzy I swear it's them (even though they are all a little bit fatter)

The other thing that happend this weekend was slightly strange! A rubber duck race down the Thames (yes you read that correctly). This was an attempt to raise money for my mate's excursion to Ghana over the summer. While the word "no" was never explicitly used by the authories, the phrases "bad idea" and "police involvement last time" did come up. However it all went off swimmingly (excuse the pun) and amused everyone walking down the Thames. If you fancy reading a bit more about what he is up to in Ghana and to lend a hand click here!

All in all, even though it was hectic, it was a pretty great weekend! And even though it's Monday now I can confirm that I haven't recovered yet and need a very long sleep!!

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Cedar Falls - Spa Weekend

Goodbye miserable workaholic and hello relaxed lady of leisure! Yep that's me right now, lying on a king size bed with fluffy pillows and getting ready for an hour of facials and massages, followed by a day of doing nothing but lounging in a pool and Jacuzzi, moving only to crawl into the steam and sauna room for a bit.

Don't Mind Me.....

So I might have splashed out a bit this weekend as I don't really do spas! Actually I think that the last one I went to was about three years ago, if not longer. My boyfriend, bless him does try and give me massages but they seem only suitable for those who have a high pain threshold and like being punched. So I was really looking forward to a bit of R&R this weekend at the adult only Cedar Falls Health Farm. 

Jacuzzi and Pool Area 

This place is the perfect retreat from working life, located just outside of Taunton, Somerset this old manor house has been converted into a gorgeous hotel and spa which aims to make you feel as if you are always at home. It also has, believe it or not, a pretty fascinating history (if you enjoy history and are a bit nerdy like me)! Think a bit along the lines of downtown abbey, but a bit smaller. Built in 1830 by a prestigious family, the Winters, the house became the centre of a feud (because if blocked the view of the hills) between them and the other man about the town, John Lethbridge of Devon. From then on the house passed to numerous people, finally becoming what it is today. 

The Drawing Room 

The idea behind this one of a kind place is simple: be the healthiest you can! You won't find any fried food or fizzy drinks here, mainly salads and mineral water (apart from a cheeky cream tea in the afternoon) It's great if you just need to get away from everyday life for a bit to rejuvenate and bring your batteries back to life. For me this included a bit of a trek around the local area into the village of Bishop's Lydeard, set against the backdrop of the Quantock hills, it really brought me back to my school days in good old Taunton School. 

The Gardens 

After the walk it was straight back to the spa for what can only realistically be described as more lounging, I'm not sure what it is about a Jacuzzi but even when my hands are more wrinkled than my grandma's it's an effort to get me out. 

This is hands down one of the most relaxing weekends I have had in a very long time, if ever and suddenly I can understand the appeal of being a sloth. Laziness aside though, I fully intend to come back here when I get the chance, mainly because it's amazing but also because it's affordable! We had a great all inclusive deal with the room, food, treatments and full use of the facilities and trust me I have very little interest in going back to London tomorrow - actually I have no interest. But I guess it must be done - I'm not sure if my masseuse's recommendations that I stay away from sitting in front of computers, lest I end up looking like Quazimodo, will warrant any time off work. 

One of the lesser health options on the menu - but hey who can't say no to sticky toffee pudding? 

Still best make the most of it while I can. Bring on the lovely aquajet massage treatment awaiting me in the morning!! 

Until next time...

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Marathons, Palaces and Damien Lewis - April Blog Challenge

I cannot believe that suddenly it’s the end of April! Although to be fair suddenly there seems to be sun poking through the clouds every now and then and I even had my first ice cream (admittedly its one from those whippy machines which some argue is not real ice cream, but I’m weird and I don’t actually like real ice cream so I’ll count it)! April has been one of those months which seems to have been a bit haphazard and all over the place, I started the month in Romania and I’m ending it back here in London and a bunch of things have happened in between.

Me being cool in the Hampton Palace Gardens :P 

Touch of Theatre:

Standard I know, but I am no-one without Theatre! It defines me and blah blah blah. No I joke – I have actually had a pretty good month theatre wise and managed to fit three performances into three weeks! Overkill? Probably (but to be fair I went to see Cats again before it closed so I don’t think that counts)….

American Buffalo

I bought tickets for this ages ago – potentially even before the new year! And I was lucky I did as they got lapped up and sold out pretty soon afterwards. The reason? The chance to see John Goodman, Damien Lewis and Tom Sturridge on stage in David Mamet’s recreation of this well known drama. I have to admit that the play did take a while to get going, but once it did it was brilliant, I think I enjoyed it because the story isn’t the main theme of the play – the main theme is clearly the interdependent relationships shown between the characters, and the acting was of course brilliant. Lewis and Sturridge also nailed the accents (apparently John Goodman is American – definitely didn’t know that and I admit that I was completely wrong on this point) so if you get a chance to see it whether there is a last minute ticket or another recreation – don’t think twice – just buy it!

A Mad World My Masters 
I also treated myself this month and splashed out with tickets to go and see a little bit of classic theatre performed by the RSC (Royal Shakespeare Company).These actors and actresses are the elite of the elite so tickets always cost a fair penny - but it was completely worth it and reminded me once again how much I love the theater! I can't wait to hit up the Globe this summer for Shakespeare, Shakespeare, Shakespeare!! If you fancy having a great experience then book now and don't wait! I promise you will thank me for it in the end! 

Hampton Court

Hampton Court Palace - Garden View

Carrying on the theme of loving Damien Lewis my boyfriend and I went to Hampton Court for the day (for those of you who don’t get the reference – google/watch Wolf Hall). I have never been before so was really excited as I have heard that it’s beautiful and that the gardens are incredible! Unfortunately having the attention span of a fly and the stamina of sloth means that I got bored walking around the various rooms pretty quickly. I don’t know what it is-I will happily spend hours outside, but in dark and dingy rooms – not so much. The gardens were immaculate though and we spend a good couple of hours looking around them, and I got to see deer (don’t know why but I always get excited seeing deer in England – yet I’m completely uninterested in their cousins back on the plains in Africa). We also decided to do the maze, which I suppose is something you have to do when there. We both have quite a competitive steak in us so we decided to split up and see who could get to the centre first – it was me in case you were wondering :P

Hampton Court Palace Gardens 

London Marathon

Last but not least, I went to watch and support the runners at the London Marathon last Sunday. I was helping my cousin and her charity Action Against Hunger as they had several people running for them and needed all the morale they could get! Having run a couple of half marathons here and there, I always wondered what it would be like to run a marathon (even though crossing the finish line at the half marathons usually had me doing a mixture of wheezing, swearing and crawling) but seeing the London Marathon runners has got me thinking that I want to do it again! We will have to see! It was fun though and I have so much respect for those who ran it and of course East Africa represented us well-  insanely rapid! 

Elite Men and Women running the London Marathon 2015

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