An Alternative Guide to Surviving Freshers Week

Firstly, if you are a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed fresher who is just about to embark on their uni career having left the bank of Mum and Dad to strike out alone, this isn’t the post for you. In fact, this probably isn’t the blog for you. Try not to channel your inner Glinda and store the excitement of living with people in a safe place; I’ll remind you in five years, when you’ve lived with someone who works nights and rolls out her crazy if anyone breathes too loudly while she’s sleeping, or the student who sees washing as an optional life choice.

I am too old, and I cannot use the words ‘totes emoshe’ to convey any feeling other than one of a prize penis for actually saying it. All I know about university is from what friends and family have told me, given that I never went. It sounds like a smorgasbord of late nights, trips to A&E with alcohol poisoning, too much coffee, and if you are unlucky, an STD, and that’s not what I’m about. Yeah yeah, and the studying, but the studying part isn’t the problem, is it?

What I am well qualified to help out with is how to survive fresher’s week, if, like me, you live near a University, a campus, dorms or any other holding cell where they put the teens these days ( I also live neatly between 2 prisons, and I’d take my chances on one of those over halls any day).

I have the pleasure of a lovely flat that looks out over a courtyard. When we moved in we thought it was lovely, a quiet location near the tube that would provide peaceful solitude. Shame on me for not doing my research, but the flats opposite turned out to be student accommodation for UCL, and this is how I reach my new authority on dodging the bullet that is … freshers week.

They come, and one by one they occupy their rooms, like creatures in a zoo. They sit behind their glass windows as if they are in tanks, and they stare into our windows. And we stare into theirs, marvelling at the innocence of the new student creature that is staying.

Hard to tell the difference, this could be confused for a fresher after a heavy week of foam parties. It is a zombie

If, like me, you have found yourself in the middle of a zombie fresher apocalypse, take heed of these tips:

• Never look them directly in the eye. They feel threatened and might bite. Hahaha, that’s not one really. (Might be).

• Keep windows closed at all times. No matter how hot it is inside, and however it feels way more sensible to open the window than fork out for a fan, keep them closed. You do not want to hear the sounds of retching when the wind changes nor do you want to ever experience the pain of drunk freshers singing, in choir like symmetry, Celine Dion. I swear that sound will haunt me forever.

• Become fast on your feet. You may be innocently on your way to catch the 91 to work of a morning, but they are sleeping off last nights antics. Learning to be spritely of step will allow you to dodge various piles of sick on your walk and negotiate the delicately strewn scores of used condoms, in assorted shades, lining the pavement.

• Always carry headphones. When popping out to get groceries or waiting for the bus of a morning, ensure you are plugged in and calmly listening to music to take you to your happy place. This will ensure you miss all (loud) conversations about who did what last night, charity work and gap yaaaaahs. No one cares, youth.

May the force be with you.

What’s your favourite fresher related story? Do you have any good Uni memories?

I Heart Instagram – Why You Should Too

I love Instagram. It lacks the complexity of Facebook, no constant updates on (this is an actual example) what an acquaintance and her boyfriend are having for tea, no incessant Ice Bucket Challenges and no need to get that fear that you are missing out on life because all the people you went to school with are holidaying / married / pregnant / doing more fun stuff than the shopping!

Its less basic than Twitter, and just gives you a glimpse into other lives – a way to transport you from having that cup of tea at your desk into someone else’s front room. It’s first class curtain twitching. on crack. So here are my three favourite accounts, and why:

1) What Peggy Said

Gorgeous calligraphy aplenty, Kim’s account also gives you your fair share of beagles and knitting, plus regular (gorgeous) shots of Norwich, which just happens to be where my sister is at University. I love the fact that my feed is peppered with shots of bold colours, guaranteed to put a smile on your face when the rain is lashing at the windows and someone in the office used the last of the milk.

2) Camp Patton

I do not know how this woman copes with four small children all running in different directions, but she sure does, and with such a lot of humour. Her blog makes me laugh out loud, her daughter has the sassiest pants on the block, and I love it all. I hope I parent like that.

3) Rene Charles NYC

You may ask the boy, but I can confirm I have a serious puppy problem. Enter Rene Charles. The cutest french bulldog around, the person who runs this account adds witty one liners that make me squeal. The girls at work think all I follow is the puppy and Tinie Tempah, due to amounts of squeal explanations.

Do you love Instagram? Who are your favourites?

Investing In… Cohabiting In Peace

I’m home alone, and there are some strange thuds coming from the hallway. I’ve watched one too many episodes of Criminal Minds in my life time to assume this is anything less than a home invasion, and I am thinking about what is at hand to protect myself with.

And then I remember, it’s the new hoover robot, and it has a lot of dust to eat.

When Legal and General got in touch with me regarding their things that are worth investing in campaign, I was a little stumped. What do I think is worth investing in, other than the obvious things? Headphones that don’t break in 2 seconds? Savings? A pension? All of the above are things I do (well apart from the first, I am a victim of cheap and cheerful when it comes to headphones!) but what could I invest in that would help me today and tomorrow?

And then it came to me. 99% of the conversations between me and the Boy are directly related to the cleaning of the flat. I simply cannot comprehend how he sees it in his heart to put his plate in the sink, yet it doesn’t cross his mind to take a step to the left, bend down and put it in the dishwasher. And don’t even get me started on taking the laundry out of the machine. It dawned on my yesterday that I might think that in the 8 months we have been living together, my training of him has failed, but maybe his training of me to not expect him to do these things has actually won! Haha.

So I went with the hoover robot. Which I imagine will change my life. My family have a hoover robot that chases the puppies round the house when they aren’t in and cleverly navigates corners and stairs, although I imagine theirs is a very expensive version. Our choice is a bottom of the market example and is currently bashing around the hall like it has some kind of spatial awareness problem, but it has collected all the sesame seeds I spilled on the floor this morning, and for that I am eternally grateful.

What would you invest in? The more imaginative the better!

*This post was a collaboration with Legal and General, but all thoughts are my own!

Coveting Candles

It’s that time of year again, when everyone I have ever met has a birthday. It’s a time where I bake a lot of cakes (I feel sad for anyone who didn’t have a Mum like mine, who crafted beautiful cakes for us and our friends on our birthdays, and try to pay it forward) and have to think of creative present ideas for my loved ones. I’ve never been the sort to give money or buy vouchers – I love getting it right with thoughtful gifts. Although there have been a few wild misses over the years, I’m pretty accurate when it comes to the art of thoughtful gift giving.

That being said, I do find gifts for boys much easier than girls. Bath bubbles and beauty products to me fall into the realms of slightly disingenuous present giving; readily available and lacking thought unless you know someone loves the brand.

But candles are always the one. People love the pleasure of scented candles; the luxury of the fact that they aren’t items you would necessarily treat yourself to, and the beautiful fragrances that make a house feel like a home. I am a huge fan of the ones sold in Hampton Court gardens – really expensive smelling candles with gorgeous floral scents that transport you to old memories and bring on a sense of nostalgia. These are the types of gifts I want to give; the gifts that people really understand were picked for them.

Although sometimes, a gift for you is just right. When Culture Vulture Direct got in touch with me to see if I wanted to try out some of their products, I was really taken by the selection that they had on offer. I love products that are designed from travel inspiration (my passport cover is a vintage style one with border control stamps) and immediately fell for this mirrored tray and beautiful Jasmine candle.

The only thing is, I’m too scared to use it as I don’t want to ruin it!

Have you ever owned anything you were too scared to use, wear or enjoy? And what do you think of the products?

Products were provided by Culture Vulture, but all views (and words) are my own.

Dear Life, Please Slow Down

It’s been one of those weeks scratch that, fortnights. You know the ones, where despite your hardest tries, nothing seems to go right and there aren’t enough hours in the day. The ones where your to do list grows exponentially as you cross items off, where you spill tea down your front the moment you walk into the office and where you accidentally leave a cupboard door open when cooking and thwack your head on it next time you walk past. This actually happened.

Friday night saw me have a minor meltdown, cry, eat lemon curd directly from the jar with a spoon and generally feel sorry for myself, while working most of the weekend and dreading the rise of the sun on Monday morning. Don’t get me wrong, I love my job, but you have to hate stuff to enjoy it sometimes, right? RIGHT?

So let’s hope this week is better, rather than an additional week of dashing round like a blue arsed fly, accidentally triple booking plans in the evening leading to pissed off friends, and wondering what the hell happened to July, or more’s the point, 2014.

Here’s to a better week, y’all. Oh Christ, its Thursday already!

How has your week been so far?

Aspirationally Green Fingered

I have never been very interested in plants and gardening, preferring to be cooking when im at a loss for something to do and in the house. I went through a phase where I had a little garden a while back and wholeheartedly threw myself into it, but I can’t say I miss it at all.

That was, until recently. I’m not sure whether it has come with age or whether its living in a flat with just the boy for company, so although rented it still feels more like home, but all of a sudden it’s really nice to add a bit of life to the place and personalise it.

I started with the purchase of 3 little pets; a trio of succulents. I love that they are each different, easy to keep alive and really cute.

Then I branched out to some herbs. My basil plant seems to be coming on leaps and bounds, but the same cannot be said for the chives (or chive, singular, as we were a little over zealous with the watering when we first started and I think drowned the rest) and the parsley that met its sorry demise this morning, after displaying signs of plant rigour mortis.

But now my interest is piqued. I have fallen in love with this little beauty, a bird house and bird co-habitat, and plenty of other gorgeous little finds. I’m thinking about getting it as a birthday gift for my Mother who is an August baby, as I know it would be right up her street too (I found it here).

Now all I need is a garden to house my burgeoning plant collection and my dreams will have come true; a little cottage somewhere where I can grow (with the help of someone who isn’t a plant murderer) the veg and herbs needed to cook. Perfecto.

Are you able to keep plants alive, or are you a bit “kill them with love” like me?

* This post was brought to you in collaboration with Uncommon Goods, but all opinions, as you have come to expect, are my own!

Don’t Look Back, The Past Has Nothing To Say

Life is a funny thing. When we are living in the moment we feel our emotions with full force; when we are unhappy we can never see that there will be light at the end of the tunnel, when we are in love we can’t picture life without that euphoria, and when we are happy we can’t imagine any other way. We believe wholeheartedly in our youth, and the spot in which we stand right then and there.

But isn’t it amazing that when we have the power of time on our hands that we look at things in a different light? I spent some time reading some very old posts if mine this week, with the view to work out how my writing has improved and how I can strive for more, and I felt myself wanting to turn back to hold my younger self’s hand and tell her everything would feel better soon.

Maybe it’s the invincibility of youth. Maybe it’s the nativity of younger years. But maybe we can learn from how we felt and how we reacted, and pull it forward to make ourselves better people.

I have had so many emotions running through my veins; the fear and adrenalin of striking out – ending a relationship, moving to a new city, leaving a job. Vie felt devastating sadness of ending relationships that I thought would last forever, both romantically and platonically (and more recently felt a shadow of that sadness when I read through posts from during those times) and I’ve seen extreme joy – the birth of my god-daughters and the pleasure of watching them grown into tiny people and experiencing their unwavering love. I’ve felt the winds of change and the waves of destiny; stepping off a plane in a country I’ve never been in and being aware of the opportunity in front of me and the chances I might have, and all of these things have shaped the person I’ve become.

Now I’m a bit more serene, yet a heap more confident in myself. I don’t care so much about what the world thinks about me, but am more confident in my belief in myself and being comfortable in my own skin. And I’ve learnt that however forceful the feeling s, however intensely you feel it, it will dissipate. It won’t vanish, but you will come to get used to it, and it will feel like an old friend. Comfortable and consistent. I miss my Granddad each day and although it creeps up on me sometimes and I feel it as keenly as the day he died, mostly it hugs me and holds my hand and I smile wistfully.

How has your life and experiences changed you as a person?

2014 Travel: The Vancouver Edit

It’s been a while since I went to Vancouver, but I didn’t want it to go unmentioned seeing as I talked about it for so long before I left!

Lionsgate Bridge from the Seawall | Vancouver, BC | Canada

It’s firmly cemented a place as one of my favourite cities, and I loved the whole experience. We visited the North Shore and Capilano Suspension Bridge, we cycled the Sea Wall, we dined in fantastic restaurants such as Wildebeest and Fable Kitchen (see my review here) and we watched everyone else do the Grouse Grind from the comfort of the cable car.

Vancouver, BC | Canada | All images copyright of Laura Tinker | http://www.laughteriscatching.com

I love that in such a built up city there is such an outdoorsy aspect, and you can see the edge of it at all times, with ocean on one side and mountain on the other. The city is well designed for activity and most roads have cycle paths and walking parts to make being outdoorsy the norm (and you know me, I get puffed out watching sport in the TV!)

Japanese Blossom | Nitobe Memorial Gardens | Vancouver, BC | Canada

Vancouver is a city for foodies. We worked out way through a combination of the guide book and of a friend’s recommendations, and we were never disappointed, Brunch is a firm favourite of mine, and some of the new spots and up and coming places gave us the most delightful assortment of fresh and farm to kitchen produce – the fresher the better.

Delicious brunch @ The Farmers Apprentice | Vancouver, BC | Canada

The highlight of my visit was the Nitobe Memorial Gardens, located down in the University of British Colombia. It’s a trek out of the city through Kitsilano on the bus, but its worth every minute of the journey. The website says:

Nitobe Garden is considered to be the one of the most authentic Japanese gardens in North America and among the top five Japanese gardens outside of Japan, the Nitobe Garden includes a rare authentic Tea Garden with a ceremonial Tea House.

Tranquil gardens | Nitobe Memorial Gardens | Vancouver, BC | Canada

and its pretty true to its word. You step into a little walled garden and suddenly you aren’t on a University campus, but in the most tranquil of settings. The cherry blossom was in full bloom, and it was the happiest part of my trip. I absolutely adored it.

Totem poles on the seawall cycle | Vancouver, BC | Canada

Have you been to Vancouver? What was your favourite part?

Nitobe Garden is considered to be the one of the most authentic Japanese gardens in North America and among the top five Japanese gardens outside of Japan, the Nitobe Garden includes a rare authentic Tea Garden with a ceremonial Tea House. – See more at: http://www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/nitobe#sthash.DutYwu0y.dpuf

Nitobe Garden is considered to be the one of the most authentic Japanese gardens in North America and among the top five Japanese gardens outside of Japan, the Nitobe Garden includes a rare authentic Tea Garden with a ceremonial Tea House. – See more at: http://www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/nitobe#sthash.DutYwu0y.dpuf

Nitobe Garden is considered to be the one of the most authentic Japanese gardens in North America and among the top five Japanese gardens outside of Japan, the Nitobe Garden includes a rare authentic Tea Garden with a ceremonial Tea House. – See more at: http://www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/nitobe#sthash.DutYwu0y.dpuf

Shine Bright Like A Diamond

I’m not very good at being a girl, in the sense that I feel weird wearing lipstick and I can’t manage to walk more than a few steps in heels. I’m rubbish at braiding my hair or styling an outfit, and although I own jewellery, I very rarely remember to put it on in the mornings.

Product and image via

But I love it. I guess I have a magpie complex; I like things that sparkle, and, as the old adage goes, diamonds are a girl’s best friend. I tend to go for costume jewellery though, on the basis that if I lose it I don’t have to worry, as I can nip to my nearest accessorize and accessorize (see what I did there) with sparkly, inexpensive trinkets. At the moment I am drawn towards turquoise and silver, but I love the glamour of diamonds, twinkling like they have secret.

 

I see a lot of diamonds recently. As I am often informed, I am getting to “that age”, the age currently that means a lot of my friends are getting engaged and married. One friend is scheduled to be in 8 weddings this year, so these sparkly rings are making their mark. It feels like every day on Facebook there is a new picture of a girl with her hand over her mouth sporting a diamond, or a picture of her hand (always with perfectly manicured nails, so never an impromptu shot!!)

But they are pretty, aren’t they? One close friend sent me a picture of hers, after her then boyfriend had set her out an outfit, organised a taxi to take her to a fancy hotel and been in one of the suites when she arrived, ready to propose. I love the romance and the story behind the engagement ring, and the fact that the diamonds shine beautifully, advertising a promise.

She has a real passion for products that have a story, with her wedding cake being made from hens from her garden, and therefore chose her engagement ring from Vashi, loving the way that all diamonds are handpicked and the rings can be engraved.

What kind of jewellery do you like? Are you more a costume type or an investment piece?

* This post was brought to you in collaboration with Vashi, but all opinions, as you have come to expect, are my own!

Gatsby Glamour at the Prohibition Party, London

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When I was younger I went to see Romeo and Juliet in the cinema. I watched the whirling and twirling of dancers and theatrics, and then promptly threw up outside the cinema and had to go straight to bed. A decade later, I went to see The Great Gatsby, and promptly did the same. It seems I have an allergy to Baz Luhrmann.

However, I haven’t let this put me off the whole Gatsby thang. I loved the book, and the whole mystique of the era draws me in like a moth to a flame. I covet the feathers and jewels and downright drama of the age, and have always dreamt of being a part of it.

I’m currently doing the London thing while a friend is here and so booked us both tickets to the Prohibition Party; a night held at a secret location in London once a month.

Elle working her magic at the roulette table

The concept is fantastic. You dress up in your best pre-war party gear, and head off to live it up in the 30s. They email you 48 hours before to tell you the location, and off you go.

Our evening was at the Bloomsbury Ballrooms, and it was like stepping back in time. We descended the stairs to be offered a 1930’s inspired cocktail before the doors swept open and we were in a room with roulette tables, a bar and a quartet band.

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We had sorted fancy dress, but to be honest, we were the most underdressed people there. There were feathers and sparkles, feather boas and flapper dresses, and braces aplenty.

When the main room opened we were treated to a cabaret act, a fantastic band and people really got into the spirit of dancing, flapper style.

Our attempt at Gatsby glamour

The atmosphere was electric, and it was one of the best nights out I have ever had in my city. I would strongly recommend it to anyone who hasn’t been and wants a night out to remember.

“That is the beauty of literature.You discover that your longings are universal longings, that you are not lonely or isolated from anyone. You belong” F Scott Fitzgerald.

Have you been? Or to anything similar?

* Images via