Leaving Tomorrow!

Tomorrow I leave for the Brecon Beacons in Wales. My suitcase is packed, all I have to do is work out how I am going to get up so early in the morning. There is something really great about having all you need in a bag, ready to go somewhere new and exciting. Ready for my first trip without my parents.

I will be doing all sorts of outdoor activities I have never done before, such as kayaking, canoeing, caving and hiking. I am keen to try these things, but I'm a little nervous about the caving! Still, I like a challenge!

I will try and give you daily updates about my adventures. If I have internet in such a rural place, that is! If not, I will tell you everything when I get back!

Label Madness

I went shopping today with my parents and we went in Ralph Lauren. I was horrified. I have always thought that designer brands are over priced, but this was extreme. £120 for a hoodie that was thinner than one I bought in Peacocks, and just because it had a little polo player on. You are paying huge amounts of money for a symbol.

I know you can get designer brands cheaper than this in outlet stores and sales, but you are still supporting a company that thinks it is okay to charge that much. I would rather avoid them completely. Some makes are even worse. I have seen £200 sunglasses and bags and shoes for much more.

I do sometimes buy from brands like Animal and Saltrock, but they are not so overpriced. Although you do pay partly for the brand, their items are better quality. Their coats and hoodies are warmer and their bags last longer. I still only buy their items if they are on sale though. Even when they are full price, they are still cheap compared to designer labels.

Do you buy designer labels? Or do you think it is all madness.

Top 10 Favourite Books

I have read a lot of different books over the years, but some stand out more than others. There are some that I love so much I just have to read them over and over again. These are my top 10 favourite books.

1. Frozen In Time - Ali Sparkes
2. The Emerald Atlas - John Stephens
3. Paper Towns - John Green
4.The Slippery Slope (From A Series Of Unfortunate Events) - Lemony Snicket
5. Northern Lights - Philip Pullman
6. Divergent - Veronica Roth
7. Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins
8. No Way Out - Gene Kemp
9. Looking For Alaska- John Green
10. I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I Would Have To Kill You - Ally Carter

Last Minute Shopping Trip

Today, I went shopping again to get a few last things for my holiday. I bought a pair of amazing strappy black wedges in New Look to wear with my 2 black evening dresses on the cruise. They are higher than any shoes I have worn before and I love them! I can't wait to wear them. I also bought a casual denim dress in the sale for when I am at home this summer. I have wanted a denim dress for a while, and this is the perfect one.



Now I have all my outfits sorted, the countdown can begin!

Pets Are Like People

As you know, I have a cat called Bumble. He is part of the family, and I often treat him like he is a person rather than a cat. I talk to him regularly, always say hello when he comes in the room, say goodnight to him and give him Christmas presents. I even celebrate his birthday. Most of my family members are like this too.

Unless you are the same as me with animals, you are probably thinking I am crazy right now. But the thing is, I love Bumble to bits - more than I love most people, so it feels right to me that I should treat him that way.

Are you an animal lover? Do you treat your pets like members of the family?

Morning Troubles

My mum doesn't respond to normal alarm clocks, so usually I have to wake her every morning before school. This is some times quite a challenge. First, Bumble does his best with paws, claws, teeth and tail flicking. Then my dad's alarm goes off and he gets up. My alarm goes off next door, I wake her again and drag her out of bed with difficulty. However, these past couple of weeks, it has been my dad's job (lucky him) because I have been off school.

However, I think Ellen has found me a few possible solutions to this problem. She has some unconventional methods of waking people up. Have a look:

 



I think I am definitely going to invest in the last one. Are you a morning person?

Brexit Bus Rebranded

Remember the Brexit bus used by the out campaign to feed us their propaganda? Greenpeace have redecorated it. They are telling the government to come clean about the future of the country after Brexit and stop feeding us lies like they did during the campaign.

Greenpeace have covered the bus with questions sent in by ordinary people. Anyone can do it. Click here to send your own questions so they can be added to the bus.

 

As teenagers, we may not have been able to vote, but we can still get involved in politics. This is one of the ways that anyone, regardless of age or background, can speak up. It is our future as well. We will have to deal with the effects of Brexit as adults, and we deserve answers.

Holiday Clothes

With only a few weeks until my holiday, I have been doing some shopping.

Last weekend, I bought a pair of white shorts from Peacocks. I like them because they are long enough that I can where them in all situations. They are cut like denim shorts but are made of a thinner material, so they are perfect for the hot weather we have been having.

Yesterday, I bought some more practical khaki shorts from Primark. They are for my trip to the Brecon Beacons in just over a week!

I love buying holiday clothes! They are often colourful and I love bright colours. There is a great selection at the moment, so here are my favourites from around the web.





I love the simplicity of this dress.
New Look, £29,99



This top has 2 layers at the bottom with double straps.
New Look, £12.99

I love the colours of this bikini top.
The cut out detail adds interest.
New Look, £12.99

This anklet is really colourful.
New Look, £3.99

My favourite colour is yellow, so I really like these sandles.
H&M, £12.99

This shirt dress is thin and floaty for hot weather.

H&M, £24.99

I love the flowery detail on these shorts.
Dorothy Perkins, £24

Animal flip flops always have really interesting patterns
and bright colours. These are no different.
Animal, Was £14 now £10



Musical Torture

My parents have a habit of inflicting their music tastes on me. My mum calls this my musical education - another term for playing dodgy 70s and 80s tracks that I have never heard before to ensure I know songs by all the artists that were around when she was a teen. She does like some modern music, we are both fans of Robbie Williams and Lily Allen. However, she also plays a lot of Prince, David Bowie and Paul Simon.The list goes on and on. Occasionally I like one of her old albums, such as her Oasis Hits CD, but most of the time it is torturous. There are a couple of good Prince and Bowie songs, but Paul Simon is awful.

My dad does like some of the music I listen to. We both love "Hold Back The River" and "I'm Yours". However, most of his music collection is from before I was born. There are a couple Bryan Adams, Billy Joel and Beautiful South songs I like, but most of it is questionable. He does let me put one of my CDs in the car whenever we have a week off together though, so I can't complain much.

Do your parents force their taste in music on you? Or do you like the same artists?

Working, Or Just Playing?

I have often gone with my mum to volunteer at the school she works at the end of the year. Up until now I have always just been preparing the class room and making resources for the year ahead. However, today was a bit more exciting. This time, I was working with a younger group of children than usual as this year my mum has been working in a year 2 class room instead of the junior school. As it was the children's last day, they set up an inflatable obstacle course outside as a treat.

At first, it was just the children going on. But between teacher races, girls without partners and boys wanting to see if they could beat me, I spent quite a lot of time on there. The only problem was, it had been designed for children with small holes to climb through and low arches. Fine for 7 year olds, less fine for me. At least I have an excuse for them all beating me.

During the day, I also had the opportunity to read to the class and play outdoor games with them. I really enjoyed working with them all. My question is: does this day of playing count as work experience?

A Different Sort Of Standup

I have watched lots of standup comedy over the years, and there are quite a few comedians I like. However, when my mum introduced me to Victoria Wood, I was quite surprised. Never before have I seen anyone perform songs like hers. They are soooo funny and completely original. This is one of my favourites:

 

My mum was really upset that she died recently and I can understand why. She was very talented and I love her material. Here are some more of her songs that I like:

 

Pam

Bum To The World

Who is your favourite comedian?

The Best Of The Classics

Mostly, I like modern music. Nearly all my favourite songs are fairly recently pop hits. But there are some songs I love that are much older. Rock songs from bands that broke up a long time ago, classics from before I was born. These are my favourite tracks from years ago.

I Wanna Be A Rockstar      - Nickelback
Sweet Child Of Mine          - Guns N' Roses
Roll With It                         - Oasis
Summer Of 69                    - Bryan Adams
Cigarettes and Alcohol        - Oasis
We Didn't Start The Fire     - Billy Joel
Dancing In The Dark         - Bruce Springsteen
We Will Rock You            - Queen

Work Experience

One of the things I am looking forward to in year 11 is work experience. Some people in my year are not so keen on the idea, because it is in our half term holiday. Obviously, I would prefer to miss a week of school than holiday time, but I still really want to do it.

Mostly, I want to do it because I am lucky enough to have access to placements working in exactly the sorts of places I want to work when I am older. I will be able to see what the work is like and decide whether on not it is for me. This will help me decide on what A Levels and further education to take. I also want to gain experience in that area for applications. It will also allow me to understand what I will be letting myself in for when I do get a job.

I think it is great that it is so easy for us to find placements. Normally, it is hard for young people to get work because of lack of experience. Hopefully, this system will help prevent this problem. Have you done any work experience? What did you think of it?

The Ambitions Of a Writer

Ever since I was 6, I have wanted to write books. The genre has changed over the years, but I still want to get published. It was one of the reasons I started a blog in the first place, so people would be reading something I had written.

I always have a story on the go, although I rarely finish one. Currently, I am editing the draft of a short adventure story, part way through writing a romance novel and beginning to work on a mystery about the disappearance of a young girl and her family. I also have several half-written stories I started years ago that I sometimes revisit.

I guess my problem is that I have ideas for books quicker that I can write them. I also often know how I want to start it, but have few ideas about where the narrative is going after that. One day though, I think I will finish one, I just have to put enough time into it.

As well as my ambition to get a book published, there is one other thing that keeps me writing, and it is summed up nicely in this quote by Larry Brookes:

Whatever we write, we are reaching out. We are declaring that we are not alone on this planet, and that we have something to share, something to say. Our writing survives us, even if nobody ever reads a word of it. Because we have given back, we have reflected our truth. We have mattered.

The Freedom Of Summer

For me, today is the first day of the summer holidays!

There is a real sense of freedom about having nearly 2 months off school! For a lot of this time, I will be at home, free to do whatever I feel like doing at the time. I am also going to Wales for 5 days for an adventure camp and spending a week on a cruise ship in Europe.

However, I was a bit upset yesterday as some of my favourite teachers left the school. It is always sad when people who have helped you so much and you have a good relationship with leave. Also, next year, I will be going into year 11. I feel like year 10 was our last year of fun at school before things get really serious. But then, this time last year I was worried about going into year 10 and starting the study of my GCSE subjects, and that was not as hard as I thought it was going to be. So maybe year 11 won't be too bad either.

We did have some nice surprises though. Two of my favourite teachers who left last year sent us a video message all the way from New Zealand. I was so shocked I didn't take in everything they said! It was good to hear from them though.

Overall, it was a great last day and I think this summer is going to be even better.

Gender Equality- Are We Nearly There?

Soon, we will have a female prime minister in charge of our country. Labour may also be led by a woman. It will be the first time in history both the leading parties will be under female leadership. This is not the only sign that our society is becoming more gender equal. The women's and men's prize for winning Wimbledon are now the same.

However, we still have a long way to go. Some people (and some companies) are refusing to treat everyone equally. For example, watch Ellen's take on Bic's new pen range:

 

 

So, we are definitely not there yet. I do think though, that one day we will have a gender equal society and it might even be within our lifetimes. For that to happen though, we do need everyone on board, even Bic!

Live Performances

Over the years, I have done quite a few live performances. I love that you are there with the audience, experiencing it with them and seeing their reactions. However, sometimes things don't always go to plan. When we performed Guys and Dolls last weekend, we had several problems. Two of our cast members even ended up falling to the floor. But then, that is part of the excitement of live theatre. Anything can happen.

Yesterday, I sung 7 Years to the whole school as part of our annual talent contest. One of my friends played the piano with me. Although I had sung solo before, I had never sung by my myself to so many people. Mostly, I had only sung on my own when I was a lot younger, and much more fearless. Then, I was unaware of the implications of what I was doing. Now, I am old enough to realise that all those people will be judging me, it is a lot more daunting.

Still, it went reasonably well and lots of people have come up to me telling me they enjoyed it. My friend was a great help as he was very supportive and a brilliant piano player. I am pleased I did it.

Do you enjoy performing live?

What Couldn't You Live Without?

Last night, I saw a really interesting program on Channel 4 called Stripped Bare. A group of people had all their possessions removed from their houses: their gadgets, their furniture, even their clothes! They were then allowed 1 item back per day for 21 days, so they could find out what items they really need in their lives and what they can live without.

They had to go to their storage container each day to select their item. It was not that close to their house, so they had to run through the streets naked on the first day! At first, all their items were similar: clothing, mattress, duvet etc. After that, their choices were much more varied. Some focused on technology, while others wanted sofas or shampoo. It was interesting to see how varied peoples priorities were.

First I think I would want a onesie to cover myself up. Then a duvet, my hoodie, soap, toothpaste, shampoo, plates, a mattress, pants and money. After I had the basics, I would want more clothes, cutlery, sketchbook, pencils and a book.

Some of the people made changes to their lives after the show, others lived very similarly to before. The program showed being naked is terrifying, just how much we take clothes for granted and that when you have almost nothing, what you do have becomes everything. Overall, I thought it was a really interesting experiment. What items would you want back first? Tell me in the comments.

Strappy Shoes For Summer

With the arrival of summer, there are all sorts of strappy heels and wedges for summer events and parties. Here are some of my favourites.

This shoe is simple but classic. The heel is not too high.
New Look, £14.99

I love the bright colour and cross over design.
it also comes in yellow and black.
New Look, £14.99

These wedges come in a variety of colours and
have a simple but effective design.
H&M, £19.99

These shoes are perfect for parties!
Dorothy Perkins, £35

They Have Done It Again

As my regular readers will know, my school has a habit of punishing everyone for a few incidents involving only certain pupils. However, recently, they allowed the senior prefects to use keep their phones on them and use them in a common room. Today though, they decided to take that away from us all.

Because of ONE incident in the common room, nobody is allowed in there for the rest of term. Some people were not in there at the time, some of us were not even on the school site because we were performing in the school production. And yet we are all getting punished. Also, we are no longer allowed to keep our phones on us during the school day, even though that is an unrelated privilege.

We have been told that if we want to be allowed to have our common room back again, we all need to earn back their trust. This is an interesting concept as some of us did nothing to break their trust in the first place.

So, it looks like they have done it again. How am I supposed to control the idiots in my year group when I am not even in the same post code? And there was me thinking the prefect privileges were a start in ending punishments for the masses when only a minority were involved. If we ran the world this way, we would all be in prison.

The First Performance

Yesterday, we performed Guys and Dolls for the first time! There was both a matinee and an evening performance. There were a few issues, such as when a metal pot got knocked off a ledge making a huge noise in the middle of a scene, causing everyone backstage to stop and stare in horror. Mostly though it went really well. The audience was laughing along, especially in the second performance. It was so much fun, particularly the big songs, which are definitely the best part.

The audience was loving it and gave big cheers for the main cast members. The girls even got whistled at. Is that just because they were amazing or do they have secret admirers? It is not my position to judge!

Tonight, we have another matinee and our last performance in the evening. Hopefully, it will go even better now we are all more confident in what we are doing. I can't wait!