Shopping In Windsor

Yesterday, we had a full day of shopping in Windsor. I started the morning sitting on the riverside terrace outside the hotel restaurant. It was really beautiful there, and I took some fab photos. We then ate a very large breakfast and walked into the town centre. We happened to be passing Windsor Castle at the same time as the changing of the guards, so I was able to see the soldiers march in with the band.

Then, we hit the shops. Across the road from the castle, there is a large shopping area attached to a train station and a traditional high street. These had all sorts of fab shops, some larger versions of shops we have locally, some shops I had only ever seen in magazines. I bought a mini glass nail file in a posh department store. I went in Zara for the first time ever and bought a small roll on perfume called Red Vanilla, which smells amazing. It is large enough that I won't run out but small enough that it can fit in my bag.

I also bought some clothes. I got a short denim skirt with interesting panels in different colours of denim and a black cocktail dress with cut out mesh sections in River Island. In H&M, I bought a spotty navy summer dress. I am really pleased with everything I bought.

That evening, we walked back through town to a steak restaurant. The food there was amazing. I had the best steak ever and really good banoffee ice cream. This morning, we walked over the bridge and into Eton. There, there were all sorts of unusual little shops as well as the famous collage, which is huge. It was then time to leave, and I am back home now. I loved my stay in Windsor, particularly the hotel. have you ever been there?

First Night In Windsor

Yesterday, was my first night in Windsor. We arrived at our hotel, The Christopher Wren, in the early afternoon. I was amazed at how close we are to Windsor Castle (I can see it out of my window). The hotel is fab, the building is historic and the rooms are lovely. After we had checked in, we went out to walk round the town. We saw the outside of the Castle, which is huge, and ate giant cakes in a little Tudor cafe. Then, we looked round the shops, which we will be visiting again tomorrow!






In the evening, we went to dinner in the hotel. It was a lovely bar and restaurant with a large window showing a view over the river Thames. The food was great, we had a proper 3 course dinner. I had pate to start, followed by salmon, potatoes and asparagus. For pudding, I had a chocolate mousse. I was even allowed a little wine.






Today, we are doing some serious shopping. I will show you all what I buy tomorrow.

Morning Terror

As most of you know, I look after the school chickens. Most mornings, I go in to the animal house, grab a handful of corn and feed them. Last week, I put my hand into the bag as usual, and picked up some corn and a mouse tail. Dangling from my hand was a live brown mouse, who was probably as surprised as me. I screamed, dropped it back into the bag (I think it must have landed on it's head, poor thing) and ran out the door. My friend was standing outside, wondering what the fuss was about. When I told her, she was not very sympathetic. She loves mice.

We went back in together and she looked into the bag. We could see 3 tails in the corn. I think I must have washed my hands about 10 times. It didn't feel enough. I think I will look in the bag first in future! Have you ever had a similar trauma?

Today, we are leaving for Winsor. I am very exited, I haven't been away for ages. I will tell you all what I get up to and keep you updated.

Easter Eggstravaganza

I have had a great Easter. I got lots of eggs (mostly Cadburys) from my friends and extended family. My parents bought me some more Promarkers to add to my collection. They don't usually buy me chocolate because I get lots of that from other people. The set has 6 colours, a fine liner and special paper to use them on. I can't wait to try them out. We also visited my grandparents.

Today, I am going to be very busy packing (I don't travel light). Tomorrow, we are going up to Windsor for a couple of nights for my Gran's birthday. She does not know it is a birthday treat yet, that is going to be a surprise. We are going to be staying in a fancy hotel and going shopping. Hopefully, I will be able to blog while I am up there, so watch this space!

The Stripe Trend

At the moment, stripes are everywhere. From wide to thin and contrasting colours to subtle, there are so many to choose from. Blue and white are very popular currently. Here is my collection of the best stripey clothes and accessories from around the web.



The wide stripes of this top are actually made up of
lots of thin lines. It adds texture.
New Look, £8.99

This summer top has a more subtle stripe pattern.
I also like the colour gradient.
New Look, £9.99

This asymmetrical top is fab. I like how unusual it is.
New Look, £15.99

I love this dress! I think I am going to have to buy it
for my holiday this summer.
The colours are beautiful.
New Look, Was £58, now £46.40

This simple skirt could be dressed up for nights out.
Topshop, £26

This floaty, pastel blouse is perfect for spring.
Peacocks, £12

Colour Switch

A week or so ago, my friend showed me this game called colour switch. On Wednesday, I downloaded it onto my phone and now I am completely addicted. It is very simple: all you have to do is tap the screen to move a coloured ball up through moving obstacles. It can only pass through objects that are the same colour as the ball and it switches colour regularly. It is very hard! When you eventually have mastered the basics, you can try even harder modes.

I love this game, me and my mum both play it and are constantly trying to beat each others scores. As it is so hard, it makes me want to play it more to try and get a higher score. I definitely recommend it, but don't buy it if you don't have much spare time, because you will find yourself playing it a lot!

No More School, Just Lots Of Food

Yesterday was my last day of school before the Easter holidays. We had a day of skiving - or listening to our head teacher talk and walking round a massive field for charity, as some people might say. My mad form tutor gave me one of the class cacti to take home for the holidays. Prickles is currently happily sitting on my kitchen windowsill. The other one, Heinz Mark 2, is at my friends house.

To celebrate, I went out last night with my parents to Harvester. We often do that when I have just done exams or finished school. I love Harvester, the salad bar is amazing. It came complete with bread rolls, dressings and stuff to sprinkle on top, as well as the regular salad items. The main course was good too, I always have ribs when I go there.

I would probably eat loads of salad if I had access to a bar all the time, but normally I have to prepare it myself and that takes ages. I think that is the problem with healthy eating. It is often far easier to eat unhealthily than healthily. Have you ever been to a Harvester?

March Beauty Bag Favourites

Lately, I have found a few more beauty favourites to share with you. They have kept me going all winter and definitely deserve a place on this list.


The first is the Vaseline Rosy Lips lip balm. This compact tin is full of a balm that not only cares for lips just as well as their other products, but also has a gorgeous redish-pink tint. It is strong enough to make a difference, but not so coloured that it is too dramatic. Depending on how much you put on, you can achieve anything from "the natural look" to "I'm wearing lip gloss." It also contains rose oil for a subtle but lovely fragrance and almond oil to help care for your lips.




Another good Vaseline product is their Intensive Care Healthy Hands Stronger Nails hand cream. It has a light, non greasy texture and really does improve nail strength. It does not have a particular scent, but still smells nice and fresh.

My Avon Colour Trend Shimmer Tips Mascara in gold is the only makeup item on the list. Although the idea of gold mascara might sound a bit scary, it is not what you are thinking. This product goes only on the ends of your lashes, after you have applied your normal mascara, and it is quite subtle. It also comes in silver. Perfect for parties.

My final product is one I have been using for years now, and is part of my go-to skin care range. Simple's Spotless Skin Triple Action Face Wash - it is quick to use, effective at removing/grease and best of all, I think it does have some effect on my spots. It is also perfect for my sensitive skin because it contains no harsh chemicals. I couldn't be without it.

Have you tried these products, or do you have any beauty recommendations of your own? Post them below in the comments.

The Off The Shoulder Look

Now spring is officially here, the weather will soon be warming up and we can start to show more flesh. The current off the shoulder trend is a great way to do that. Here is my collection of the best off the shoulder tops and dresses from around the web.

This top is casual, yet more unusual than a simple T-shirt
New Look, £7.99

I love the cross over design of this striped top.
It is perfect for slightly colder weather this season.
Topshop, £20

This top is simple yet effective. The material is ribbed.
New Look, £12.99

This top has a simple design but eye catching colour.
Dorothy Perkins, £10

I love the colour of this top. It is bold and fun.
Debenhams, was £28, now £14

Shamy Get It On

I have just seen the new Big Bang Theory episode! I had to watch it on catch up because I was singing in a concert on Thursday. It was great! There were some really sweet moments between Sheldon and Amy, but it was still really funny. The other boys were watching the new StarWars movie, and the comparison between theirs and Sheldon's reactions was hilarious. I also loved Amy's reaction to "Sheldon wants to get physical". She is just brilliant. I think she should get herself some better lingerie though if this is to become a regular thing.

I am now really excited for the new series, as I am sure it will be full of more great laughs. However, I don't think they will ever be able to top Sheldon and Amy getting it on! Have you seen the episode? What did you think of it?

Sport Relief

As I am typing this, I am watching this year's Sport Relief. I have just had a day at school of hoodies, leggings and trainers to raise money. Now, I am sitting on the sofa with my parents, looking forward to an evening of David Walliams, Claudia Winkleman, comedy and competition.

Clash of the Titans is back, with 2 new teams competing, each with a captain from sport. One is an Olympic medalist and one is a Rugby Champion. These include Hugh Denis, Harry Judd and Will Young. They will be competing in a range of Olympic sports for a title given to them by Prince Harry. Also, there will be a sketch from the cast of Little Britain and Some Mothers Do Have Them.

It promises to be a great evening and I hope it raises plenty of funds. Are you watching?

Ruby Redfort

Ruby Redfort- code cracker, super spy and all round genius. Oh, and she is only 13 years old.

I have read 5 of the books in Lauren Child's Ruby Redfort series and they are all brilliant. When Ruby becomes a spectrum coding agent, her life is never the same again. Suddenly, she is working with the professionals at spectrum to stop the Jade Budda being stolen and finding her way onto the major criminals hit list. However, the real challenge is keeping her job when she is still just a troublesome teenager.

I love the series because it is exciting, full of mystery and still relatable. Though Ruby is cleverer than I could ever hope to be, she still has some characteristics that are just the same as everyone else and is a very believable main character.

The sixth (and last) is coming out later on this year. I can't wait, because there is a huge cliffhanger at the end of the latest book (Pick Your Poison). I now have 8 months of imagining possibilities and I am not sure if I can cope! Have you read any of the Ruby Redfort books?

A Beauty Disappointment

When L'Oreal Paris added their extraordinary clay range to their Elvive collection I got excited. If, like most teenagers, you have oily roots you will know that products that address the problem are hard to find. So I decided to buy their Extraordinary Clay Masque, a pre-shampoo hair treatment to target the roots.

Unfortunately, it did not have the effect I was hoping for. It is quite hard to apply, as you have to paint it on the scalp section by section. It is very green, which had me panicking about what colour my parting would be at the end of it all, but luckily my head stayed a nice normal colour, unlike my fingers. It does have a nice smell and texture though.

After all this, it did not seem to make much difference to my hair. True, I did not try it with the shampoo and conditioner in the range. Still, you would think it would have some effect. Personally, I don't think it is worth the effort and money for the little improvement it does make. It is a shame that an idea with so much potential is such a disappointment. Maybe the shampoo will be better.

Live Lounge

One of the albums I am listening to at the moment is Live Lounge 2015. It is a collection of all the best unique versions of songs that have come out of Radio 2's Live Lounge show in the past year. It has a really diverse mix of tunes from all different artists. Some of the songs are covers by other people, some are just different versions by the same singer as usual. The music will always be different to the stuff you hear on the radio, and yet you will still know the songs. There are a lot of acoustic versions of songs, so it quite a calm album for chilling out.

On the 2015 album there are performances by James Bay, Little Mix, Jess Glynne, Hozier and my personal favourite, Ed Sheeran as well as many others. One of the best tracks is when Ed Sheeran sings Take Me To Church. It is perfect for anyone who likes something a bit different.

Baking Brownies

In Psychology, we have something called cake Friday. Each week, different people bring in cakes for the whole class to share. It is my crazy science teacher's way of getting free cake! This week, it is my turn, along with one of my friends. This is why I have spent tonight baking brownies.

We made the recipe for the family last weekend, although then it did not go so well. Me and my dad managed to bake brownies that were both over cooked and completely raw. The tin had been too small, the cake mix was therefore deeper and took longer to cook, leaving us with crispy edges and an undercooked middle.

This time, we used a different tin and it has gone much better. I have just been cutting them up and they look soooooo nice! I had to eat a few of the crumbs (of course) and they tasted amazing. Both times, I used Paul Hollywood's brownie mix from his new range. They were easy to make and tasted great. I definitely recommend it, just make sure you don't make my mistake!

Why I Can't Live Without Books

Last week was world book week. The whole country has been celebrating with school events and wbd teenfest, an online book festival for teens. This year, the theme is Why I Can't Live Without Books. This got me thinking.

I read quite a lot, mostly for entertainment, but there is more to it than that. I'm quite imaginative, and I like seeing into other worlds - both the fantasy kind and the worlds of real people who live very different lives to me. With books, you see into those worlds at a much deeper level than in film and TV. You find out what they are thinking. I guess the reason I could not live without books is because without them, I would never see into those ways of life in such depth. They also sometimes make you see your own life in a different way.

Stories can also be an escape, pulling you into other places, times and situations long enough that you forget your own problems for a little while. They can also give you the ideas to write your own, which is very important to me as I want to be a writer myself (one of the reasons I write a blog). So, I think books will probably always be a part of my life. Do you read a lot? Why can't you live without books?

Will The USA Be At The Mercy Of Donald Trump?

After today's results, it looks like Donald Trump really will be in the running for President. In my mind, this is madness. To lead a country that is made up of multiple ethnicities like the USA, you need a president that is open minded to people of different nationalities and races. This is the exact opposite of what Donald Trump is. He is also sexist. I don't think he can take the country forward at all, I think he will leave it stuck in the past.

Also, he has a big emphasis on building up America's military. I am very nervous about this, as it would mean their would be a huge, powerful fighting force being led my a man who harbours such hatred against certain types of people. This also goes to show that it will effect the whole world, not just America.

It will effect us too.

But of course, as we are underage and not American, we don't get a say. We can still have a view though. Post yours below.