End of Summer Playlist

I did a 'Summer Playlist' at the start of Summer so thought it would be cool to share with you what songs I was loving and listening to over Summer, as (sadly) Summer is coming to an end.

LOVE this, it's just so catchy!

I know these guys aren't everyone's cup of tea but I really like this song!

Again I know, not everyone's cup of tea! I loved their audition and have listened to this on repeat for weeks!

Such a catchy song 

I have no idea why!

The music in this is incredible!

Love this!

I know that most of these songs aren't actually that recent but that's just what I've been listening to...on repeat...for days on end...until I know longer like the song or get bored of it haha!

Give them a listen if you haven't already!

Abi :)

Back to School Essentials & More

Yes. It's that time. The Summer holidays have flown by like they always seem to and now another school year is looming (AHHHHH!) I thought I'd do a post to help prepare for going back to school, college or university based on my past experience.

First thing's first

PMA - positive mental attitude, what are you looking forward to this year? Think of all the things you learnt last year, the friends you made and all the good times you had (let's be honest school isn't really ALL that bad)

Use it as a clean slate - try and fix any bad habits like bad organisation or if you never really put your hand up in class, if you had Summer projects make sure you've done them before you go back, if you make a good start to the year you'll feel happier and more confident with the rest of your school year

Make the most of your time - it sounds cringey but remember how fast last year went? Time isn't going to slow down, try and enjoy your time at school because the big wide World of work is a lot harder than sitting in a classroom

Make a timetable - you can make a timetable of your lessons but also any work to do when you're home, it will help keep you organised and if you start reading over your notes from September you'll feel a lot less stressed during exam period as you wouldn't have left all the revision right to the last minute

Bedtime - try and go to sleep earlier than you have been during the holidays! It's the worst thing ever when your alarm wakes you up at 7am and you can't go back to sleep and lie in because you have to go to school

Essentials

 

 

Text books or any other books you need! 

Ring binders, lever archers, poly pockets and a notebook all come in handy! 

Memory stick 

 

Take several pens in case one runs out when you're in full flow! 

Needed for any Mathematicians

Sharpener

Rubber

Ruler

Calculator 

Extras

Headphones

Hand cream

Lip balm

Spray

Gadgets

Hope you enjoyed this post and found it helpful, goodluck to anyone beginning another academic year!

Abi :)

Recipe: Pancakes!

Hi chums!

I enjoyed my last two recipe posts which you can read HERE and HERE, so thought I'd do another recipe for you, this time: PANCAKES! I love pancakes because you can have them as a snack, for breakfast, they can be savory or sweet...the list is endless!

Ingredients (makes about six large pancakes):

300ml Semi-skimmed milk

100g Plain flour

2 Eggs

Oil (any kind) for the pan

 Sieve the flour into a bowl and make a small 'well' for the eggs to go in, then crack the eggs into the 'well' and start to whisk it all up!

 Add the milk a little at a time whilst whisking until all the milk is used up

 I usually pour the mixture back into the measuring jug as it's easy for me to pour the mixture into the pan that way

 I use sunflower oil but it doesn't really matter what oil you use to put in your pan so the pancakes don't stick

Choose what you'd like on your pancakes - here are some suggestions! Nutella is AMAZING on hot pancakes though, but I also like the classic (boring) lemon and sugar!

Pour enough mixture into the pan to cover all of it (you can make them as thin or as thick as you want) when the mixture is no longer a liquid and begins to come away from the sides of the pan you can (attempt to) flip it, or turn it over to brown the other side a bit.

And here's my pancake, not perfectly round or perfectly made but I think that's the beauty of cooking at home!

Abi :)

A Day Out At Glastonbury

Yesterday we went to Glastonbury for the day to climb the tor and have a little mosey around the town! By the time we got there it was lunch time, I decided to just have a Belgium Bun as I didn't fancy climbing the tor on a completely full stomach!

 The weather began to turn as we started to climb the Tor..

Pretty houses!

Rain clouds!

The views from the top were amazing! And the Tor is so pretty!

When we came down we went for a late lunch and I had ANOTHER hot chocolate which was hugeeee and lopsided!

So much cream!

Cheese platter!

And that was my day out! Hope you enjoyed reading it chums! 

Abi :) 

My Favourite...TV Shows!

I've been wanting to do this post for a VERY long time so I'm excited to be doing it now. I don't actually watch a lot of TV as I'm usually busy when the programmes I want to watch are on so I watch a lot of them on iPlayer usually about 2/3 times haha! In no particular order here are my favourite TV shows:

1. Doctor Who - My favourite Doctor is David Tennant, but I thought Peter Capaldi was very good in Saturday night's episode and I look forward to seeing him in further episodes! HERE's a short Doctor Who post

My favourite! Photo from Flickr and HERE's the link to the photo by Lisby

2. Holby City - I have no idea why I love this but I do, I love Jac Naylor and Colette Sheward who are both feisty characters, and I just think that the balance between relationships/storyline and medical..ness is really good!

3. Eastenders - Because I'm British!

4. Scott and Bailey - LOVE this! It's a crime drama for those who don't know with a strong female cast, there are really good storylines and there's always a thread leading through each episode that keeps me glued to it until the series is finished!

5. Strictly Come Dancing - I think it's one of the 'better' talent shows and you can really see the stars' improvements

6. Britains Got Talent - I love to see all the different types of act, this year I really liked the comedian Jon Clegg

7. XFactor - Used to watch this all the time when it was on but now I just watch the occasional show, I really liked Ella Henderson and love her new song Ghost

8. The Great British Bake Off - Always makes me hungry but the food they produce always amazes me! I also really like the judges and of course Mel and Sue! HERE's a short post I did about it.

9. Downton Abbey - Not everyone's cup of tea but I really like this! The music, costumes and make up are just amazing!

Yes 9 is a strange number but I wanted to keep it fairly short and can't think of a tenth at the moment! Hope you enjoyed this post chums, does anyone else watch these any of these?

Abi :)

Too Much Information TAG

So I was tagged by the lovely Bria Lou to do this tag, thankyou!

1. What are you wearing? I'm in my work clothes so a black shirt and black trousers! (Boring I know!)
2. Ever been in love? Yes
3. Ever had a terrible break up? No
4. How tall are you? 5'4, pretty short for my age ha!
5. How much do you weigh? Several bags of sugar..haha!
6. Any tattoos? No they kind of scare me a bit!
7. Any piercings? Nope, not one
8. OTP? I had to look up what that meant! Zalfie wooo!
9. Favourite show? Ohhh at the moment Doctor Who!
10. Favourite bands? Mm not a real bandy person but 5 Seconds of Summer!
11. Something you miss? Being young and innocent!
12. Favourite song? Hopeful by Bars and Melody
13. How old are you? Older than I want to be *cries*
14. Zodiac sign? Pisces
15. Quality you look for in a partner? Honesty, patience and loyalty
16. Favourite quote? Treat others as you would like to be treated
17. Favourite actor? I have thousands! But David Tennant is great
18. Favourite colour? Blue, green sometimes...it changes!
19. Loud music or soft? Depends what mood I'm in!
20. Where do you go when you're sad? My bedroom and cry with my teddies haha!
21. How long does it take you to shower? Like 7 minutes haha #savingwater
22. How long does it take you to get ready in the morning? 30 minutes..ish
23. Ever been in a physical fight? Urm...not a serious one!
24. Turn on? Men in suits
25. Turn off? Arrogance and dishonesty
26. The reason I started my blog? So I could write more and share my views and experiences with other people
27. Fears? Being alone
28. Last thing that made you cry? Urm...just overthinking in general!
29. Last time you said you loved someone? Probably last week
30. Meaning behind your blogger name? Well I didn't want to characterise myself as a certain type of blogger like beauty for example as I wanted something more general, I also knew I'd be sharing a lot of my views and opinions so wanted a name to reflect that
31. Last book you read? The Great Gatsby, I have a review HERE!
32. The book you're currently reading? I'm not reading anything eek
33. Last show you watched? Doctor Who!
34. Last person you talked to? Charlie
35. The relationship between you and the last person you texted? Friends
36. Favourite food? Pasta, apples or grapes!
37. Place you want to visit? Italy or Australia!
38. Last place you were? Living room
39. Do you have a crush? Nope
40. Last time you kissed someone? Um I tend to kiss the neighbours cat a bit haha, I have a thing about cats..as you can see HERE!
41. Last time you were insulted? I don't remember
42. Favourite flavour of sweet? Berry
43. What instrument do you play? Keyboard but I can't actually read music
44. Favourite piece of jewellery? I don't really wear jewellery but I like rings
45. Last sport you played? Probably rounders!
46. Last song you sang? A Christmas one I think already eek!
47. Favourite chat up line? I don't have one haha
48. Have you ever used it? n/a!
49. Last time you hung out with anyone? Urm last week we watched the Truman Show and some old episodes of the Inbetweeners!
50. Who should answer these questions next? Anyone who wants to!

Hope you enjoyed this chums!

P.S. I've put several links in this post for you to check out!

Abi :)

Liebster Award #2

Thanks to Jordan (link to blog HERE) I have been nominated for the Liebster Award again eeek! I really enjoyed doing the last post so am excited to have been nominated a second time - thankyou!

Rules of the Liebster Award:

1. Must link back to the person who nominated you
2. Nominate 11 bloggers who have less than 200 followers
3. You cannot nominate the person who nominated you
4. Provide nominees with 11 questions of your choice
5. Must inform nominees of your nomination
6. Provide nominees with a link to your post for more info

My nominees

Ellie B - http://thoughts-of-a-fashion-lover.blogspot.co.uk/

Milly - http://miyyime.blogspot.co.uk/

Anne - http://anneslittlearea.blogspot.co.uk/

Hattie - http://hattiehards.blogspot.co.uk/

Vicky - http://vvnightingale.blogspot.co.uk/

Charlotte - http://blogbesidetheseaside.blogspot.co.uk/

Helen - http://helensfashionblog.blogspot.co.uk/

Sophie - http://sophiebysophia.blogspot.co.uk/

Leticia - http://theelimitededition.blogspot.co.uk/

Jennifer - http://ahealthyjen.blogspot.co.uk/

Amelia - http://amelia-kay.blogspot.co.uk/

My questions for you:

What's your favourite TV programme?

If you were an animal what would you be?

Mascara or eyeliner?

If you had a million pounds what would you do with it?

If your house was on fire what five items would you take out with you?

What's your favourite make up product?

Skinny jeans or baggy jeans?

What did you want to be when you were younger?

If you could change one thing about the World what would it be?

Heels or flats?

If you could go to any country where would you go?

Jordan's questions:

What are you currently studying/working/doing right now?

At the moment I'm studying Law, Psychology and English Literature and Language and am loving them all very much!

Selfie's or group photos?

Group photos are more fun, plus I can hide haha!

Favourite reality TV programme?

Urm...I don't really like reality TV does Britains Got Talent count...

Most important physical feature in a partner?

Ohh good question! Probably well kept hair

What was your favourite game as a kid?

Hide and seek! Or my GameBoy Advance game called Spyro I think..

Your most prized possession?

Don't know what I'd do without my laptop!

What's one thing you love most about your blog?

That it's a place where I can write about anything and everything and also get to know other bloggers

Favourite sport to watch or play?

I love watching sport more than playing it, when the Commonwealth Games were on and the Olympics I watched a lot of the running events, swimming, cycling and gymnastics

What's your main goal before the end of the year?

Umm another good question! I'm not really sure! Maybe to feel more positive about my future

Current fashion trend obsession?

I love checks and monochrome clothing!

If you were picking your wedding song right now what would you choose?

Aww, I honestly have no idea! Maybe a more upbeat song like Beyonce Crazy in Love or something!

Hope you enjoy this chums and if the nominees could let me know when you've done your post I will be checking out your answers! Thankyou again Jordan for nominating me!

Abi :)

A Day Out At The Seaside!

The other day I went out to Sidmouth in Devon, it was quite a nice day when we woke up but after driving for a while the weather decided to turn on us...

Typical British weather!

By the time we actually got there it was lunch time so we headed to a fish and chip shop we'd been to before and bought ourselves mini fish and chips! The fish bits are like little nuggets of fish and taste really nice!

Love these colourful deck chairs they have there

After eating we decided to walk off our lunch a bit and walked along the beach which was really nice because the sun was out and shining making the water glisten. We even saw a fisherman (who was fishing from the beach) catch a fish!

The lucky fisherman

We walked round the town for a bit and I managed to buy myself seven postcards (I have a bit of an obsession - expect a post on it soon!) and some things from New Look.

Loving monochrome leggings at the moment

We then went round Connaught Gardens which I love doing as it's high up so you get a great view and there's always nice flowers up there too!

Reminded me of Narnia!

Just before we went back home I decided to buy Calippo Shots to cool me down...little did I know I wouldn't be able to taste any of it until it all turned to slush and could actually slide out of the plastic gap!

Hope you enjoyed reading about my little adventure and HERE's a link for the leggings if anyone is interested.

Abi :)

Top 10 ALS Videos!

For several weeks now newsreaders, YouTubers, sport stars, models, actors and singers have all taken part in the ALS ice bucket challenge to raise money and awareness for ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) a form of motor neurone disease. I thought I'd share with you my top 10 videos of the challenge!

Enjoy chums!

Abi :)

10 Rom Coms You Should Watch

I love watching rom coms, they're feel-good films and a guilty pleasure, they're great if you just want to watch a film after a hard day or for a movie day in bed! These are some of my favourites:

The Proposal

Pretty Woman

Bridget Jones's Diary

27 Dresses

10 Things I Hate About You

Sex And The City

Two Weeks Notice

Love Actually

Bridesmaids

Easy A

I especially like Bridget Jones and The Proposal as I think both are very funny films and the soundtrack in both films are also very good! As you can see I have quite a few of these films on DVD and I usually watch them before I go to sleep because (cringe) they all have happy endings so I can go to sleep feeling happy rather than crying because somebody died or something!

Abi :)

My Favourite...Beyonce Songs (Playlist #2)

If I'm honest I don't know one person who doesn't like Beyonce and her songs! I have to say, I don't like EVERY song she does but the majority of them I have on my phone and will happily sing/mime along to! Here are my favourite songs:

Compared to some of her other songs this one is quite different but I really love the music in it

I ADORE this song, I think it's SO relatable!

This one always puts me in a good mood

Because this song (and dance moves) is just so goooood!

I love her more upbeat songs

Love this

I really like the chorus in this, I just think it's so catchy!

Think a lot of people actually forget she's in this!

I hope you like this post and have a listen to some of this songs!

Abi :)

Recipe: Millionaires Shortbread

If you follow me on Twitter you'll know that earlier this week I made Millionaires Shortbread, as it was a first for me I thought I'd blog while I baked! (If you don't follow me on Twitter I'll leave the link to my page HERE)

YOU WILL NEED:

160g plain flour

60g caster sugar

215g unsalted butter

397g tin condensed milk

100g light soft brown sugar

2 tablespoons golden syrup

150g milk chocolate

100g white chocolate 

This is where I got the recipe from!

Firstly, preheat your oven to 180C (fan 160C, gas 4). Then in a food processor whizz 115g butter, flour, caster sugar until it's like a breadcrumby doughy mixture.

Then line a square tin with baking paper and spread the mixture into the tin evenly and prick with a fork. Leave to chill in the fridge for 20 minutes and then put in the oven for 30 minutes (until golden).

Pre fridge

Post oven!

Next melt the remaining butter, golden syrup, condensed milk and light brown soft sugar and boil it for 5-8 minutes whilst stirring at all times. STAND BACK AS THIS SPITS! Also, stir in the same direction because if you change the way you stir, the mixture catches as I found out! Pour the mixture over the shortbread and cool for 30 minutes.

As you can see I caught some of the mixture in the pan but it's only sugar so doesn't matter

Finally melt the milk chocolate and pour it onto the caramel and then melt the white chocolate and use a fork or skewer to make pretty swirls in it! Chill for around 2 hours.

Once out of the fridge cut the Millionaires Shortbread up, I divided mine into 10 pieces but the shortbread is quite rich and filling with the caramel and chocolate so I made lots of little squares instead, I'd say minimum of 10-12 pieces!

The end result!

I love millionaires shortbread and really enjoyed making (and eating) these! 

Abi :)