long time no speak

Okay, what can I say. It really has been a while! I often say to myself ooh, I know, I should write this on my blog.. but you know what it's like. Time is a funny old thing.

Hmm so what is new? Well, what isn't new since my last post?! Last time I wrote I was still doing those dreaded exams. Even that feels like a lifetime ago now looking back. I then subsequently spent the rest of the summer trying not to think about the lil buggers and everytime my brain started to over-analyse and freak out about looming results I would swiftly tell myself to shut up and do something else. It did work for the large majority of the summer break altho towards the last week prior to R-day (d-day as we called it) I was a little bit all over the place and planning where I would sleep that night if it was bad news... But in hindsight of course I can laugh at myself for worrying like an idiot when I didn't need to but at the time you just can't help it. Your brain is very good at making you doubt yourself! The amounts of time I would make people touch wood when they even slightly mentioned anything to do with uni... I wouldn't even allow myself to google Durham I was so scared of jinxing anything! Perhaps I should not confess to these things online...

But as always, it all worked out of course and I was so so happy. Logging onto track at 7.30am to check my status update I just broke down in tears when I saw I was actually going to Durham. So so happy. Because this is the start of the future, and however scary it may seem it's going to be fab I know.  Then the messages started flooding in as everyone else was checking their own good news which made the day even better as everyone all did so well. Go QM girlies. So so proud of Aa, Caz and Nim too.. gonna miss them immensely it has to be said. And now we have like 3 weeks to say all our goodbyes. And pack. Oh boy do I have a lot to get organised there!

Celebs in the local paper ha ha.

So that has been the pretty major thing really. Start of the rest of my life and all. But summer has been pretty hectic! And pretty perfect at the same time too (although again it seems to have just whizzed by!) July saw parties, prom and mattress sliding!..

 {Qm girlies }

Summarises our friendship pretty well.

...Not to mention our trip to Ethiopia 4th-18th July which was certainly an experience I'll never forget. It feels so weird looking back at all the pictures now- ask myself did we really do that? I need to hurry up and finish the scrapbook type thing I have been working on to document the whole trip ready to take to uni for when I am need of flashes of inspiration/motivation.

Ha ha this makes me laugh.

Home stretch smiles!

There were also trips to London, the west End and later the Olympics which was absolutely fab. Watching the rhythmic gymnastics you couldn't help but be in awe of these girls (especially when I cannot even touch my toes.)

She can fly!

Got to see my lil cousins too down in Kent which was cute, I miss the lil dudes and their crazy antics. Like our sand dune racing, card games of Président (which they totally cheat in just because I do not understand French properly!) I miss my little Flo. Wonder how she is getting on in 5th grade, big girl now.

Clement et Henri... Looking out to sea.

Then there was the brilliant cruise with Pops, Sarah and my sis. It was luxury. Did not have to lift a finger and had such a wonderful time just lying in the sun/swimming in the pool with not a care in the world apart from working out which direction I should position my body in allign with the sun to maximise my tan ha ha. It was a shame to come home really and would definitely do a cruise again- a new destination everyday what could be better? The day after we returned I hit the post-hol blues hard though and dont think I even managed to get dressed that day.. but however nice a little sunny escape is, there's no escaping reality forever!

The waters of Venice.. before our suitcases took a trip into it's murky depth. Yikes!

 Venice

 Croatia

Macedonia. Unreal backdrop.

Amalfi, Italy. Plenty of sketchbook inspiration to be found.

The jar of nutella I so desperately wanted from this Italian supermarket. Sadly it remained back on the shelf.

So August was really a time of catching up with everyone and really just doing as much as we can during our last summer together! September is also turning out to be quite manic as we all want to see each other before we start heading off so am out everyday at the moment which is nice. However Sunday is my reserved down time, planning my bubble bath already and a sit down with my new academic diary to get all my dates and butt into gear wahoo. All this stationery shopping has been just too exciting for a normal person ha ha.

Well, it's now time to shake a leg and exit my chamber. Looking forward to a day of chilling with old friends. Not long left now so really got to make the most and just enjoy every minute. 

I promise I will blog again...

but in the meantime, here's one last thing from Ethiopia...

always. X