How 90s TV Characters Subconsciously Shaped My Wardrobe

Growing up, we experiment with our identity and appearance constantly, channelling a range of subcultures and buying into every fad and trend that crosses our path until we eventually find what suits us best. When I think about the photographs I've seen from my childhood, there are clearly phases and I've tried it all. Tomboy, glam, emo, chav, you name it, the subcultures came and went and whatever era you grew up in, the same would've applied. With each passing craze, you take the bits that you like and start to build your own style and own look.

At 27, I'd like to think that where I am now is a true reflection of what I like and what suits me. And reflecting on the earliest of the childhood photos, it seems I'm kind of back right where I started. Toddler Terri would always don pinafores, plaid checks, big t-shirts, frilly socks and dungarees and I'm not ashamed to say that twenty-something Terri absolutely still does all of the above. But as a regular Urban Outfitters buyer, I find myself looking for nostalgic, vintage vibes in all that I buy and recently, whilst watching TV re-runs, it became apparent just who might've been responsible for subconsciously embedding the styles I love into my current wardrobe.

I mean, one of these ladies had THE most wanted hairstyle of the 90s so it's completely understandable that these three would influence a generation. Despite being only 3 years old when Friends first hit screens, I tapped into as I grew up and like most people, still find myself watching the re-runs now. The only difference being, style savvy, adult me has a new found appreciation for the outfits that Rachel, Monica and Phoebe rocked in the earliest seasons. Every time seasons 1 - 3 are on TV, I am desperately longing to have the pinafores, the crops, the sweaters, the patterned maxis and tea dresses, the jewellery and the layering techniques that these three had.

The queen of the clashing print. Clarissa Darling, played by Melissa Joan Hart in Clarissa Explains It All was easily one of the coolest females to grace my screen growing up. I loved her bedroom, her sarcasm in each little monologue, I totally fancied her next door neighbour and wanted her hair and wardrobe all for myself. Her outfits were so outrageously 90s with big bold colours and patterns but in grungey, slouchy fits and my goodness, she loved a scrunchie. Whilst both Clarissa and Melissa's later role, Sabrina, were my youth idols, Clarissa Darling definitely had the upper hand in the style stakes.

The dry, witty, often shy Brit who kept the 3 Crane men in tow on a daily basis. Daphne Moon of Frasier fame was relatable in more ways than one but her style was made up of the prettiest patterned dresses, statement skirts teamed with cardigans and slouchy blouses all in the most graceful, flattering fits. Her layered hair, often in an up-do with effortless fringe was very much of the decade, as were her accessories.

And let's not forget the fact that quite a lot of my viewing during the 90s was in fact animated and the cartoons of the decade certainly were not without their quirky bad-ass females. Spinelli (Recess), Daria, Jane (Daria) and Debbie (The Wild Thornberries) were three that I loved and three that I think are probably now responsible for my subconscious love of boots, over-sized shirts & jackets, plaid and baggy/ripped jeans. Probably also responsible for my sarcastic, pessimistic and slightly passive aggressive nature but this was the decade of irony and girl power so I'm owning it!

Summer Travels & Bestie Reunions

Anyone that knows me will know that I rarely travel to far away shores. This isn't necessarily through choice but more lack of funding and time and is definitely something I aim to rectify in the next year or two. Generally, the furthest I go each summer is to Scarborough to stay with one of my lovely uni pals, Jade and then sit back and watch everyone else's travelling posts and pics on Facebook whilst reeking of jealousy.

This year, we went one step further. Whilst not exactly a jet-set holiday, a million miles away, me and Jade sailed off to visit one of our closest yet furthest away friends, Beth on her little Isle of Man for the first time.

I have to admit, I was a little apprehensive and unsure what to expect, as stated before, I rarely go away. However, I now think everyone should go visit the Isle of Man at least once in their lifetime. For anyone who may be unaware of the island, its the little dot between England and Ireland and consists of towns such as Douglas, Ramsey and Peel. It's a strange little place with little stories and myths behind everything but that somehow makes it so enjoyable. You'll be listening to tales of Manannan and his cloak, believing in and talking to fairies and bumping into flags of the three legs left, right and centre. Everything is unbelievably photogenic, the sea is crystal clear, the traditions are the cutest and the people are the friendliest I've ever met.

The island is littered with sights and cute little eateries and cocktail bars and is perfect for a short break, just a couple of days away. We travelled via boat which was certainly an experience, particularly the rough ride home, but it was a brilliant experience and I for one will now be visiting more often.

I was lucky enough to have four days on the isle and then a couple of days in York & Scarborough, surprising and catching up with friends and having the best times making cute memories whilst there.

Things I saw and did on the Isle:

- Marvelled at the Isle of Man notes & coins

- Saw the sights of Peel & walked around Peel Castle, taking in the breathtaking coasts and quaint little boats in the harbour

- Ate at a number of cute little venues & tearooms including Harbour Lights tea-room in Peel, The Tea Junction in Douglas and JUST Pizza & Pasta in Douglas

- Enjoyed a walk along the promenade in Douglas, in awe of the clear waters, Tower of Refuge and neat and tidy parks and gardens along the way

- A drive along a foggy Marine Drive

- Said hello to the fairies whilst driving over the locally famous Fairy Bridge

- Saw the Absolutely Fabulous film at the cute little Broadway Cinema at the Villa Gaiety in Douglas

- Took a walk up to the top of the Laxey Wheel and revelled in the sights and sounds surrounding Lady Isabella

- Visited the only superstore on the whole island!

- Had plenty of drinks including cocktails at Bath & Bottle and a night out in the one and only Outback bar in Douglas (Just be weary of Squashed Frogs!)

- Had a bizarre but memorable day out roaming Cregneash & watching Castletown's World Tin Bath Races

The Isle of Man's Liverpool to Douglas Ferry  |  Manx Currency  |  Manx Electric Railway in Douglas

Having fun at Laxey Wheel

Some of the devine food & drink: The Tea Junction in Douglas  |  Bath & Bottle cocktail bar in Douglas  |  A bolognese pizza from JUST Pizza & Pasta in Douglas

Fun along Douglas Promenade - Featuring lovely greenery, clear seas, Tower of Refuge, IoM ferries and a gormless me

Night-time fun & drinks in Douglas 

I was also lucky enough to spend a night in Scarborough after my Manx travels, and got to see the wonder that is James Bay at Scarborough Open Air Theatre. He was an absolute dream as one would expect!

James Bay killing it at Scarborough OAT <3

In Summary:

- The Isle of Man is magnificent and everyone should visit

- James Bay is gorgeous

- Good times with good friends make the absolute best memories

Leeds Festival 2014

Like many people of my age group, I am definitely no stranger to music festivals.

I have always been heavily into music of all genres and I love having my own little bucket list of bands and artists that I can tick off when I've experienced one of their live shows. So for me, music festivals are great.

I'd like to say I'm a fairly experienced festival-goer, as I have been to Leeds Festival twice (2009 and 2010) and Download Festival once (2012) before. However, unlike most festival-goers, I don't get incredibly inebriated with drinks and drugs whilst there. I'm by no means tea-total, I often indulge in a bottle of wine or something a bit stronger when I am in the mood for it and I do drink at festivals, but the thought of opening up a can of warm cider at 10AM is a sickening prospect for me personally and I have never done any drug in my life, so I never go crazy. I also don't judge anyone who does either of these, especially not at a festival, where let's be honest, it is kind of expected.

For me, festivals are all about the music. Seeing my favourite bands and discovering new ones, is something I really enjoy, and that is also one of the reasons that I never go too crazy, because I want to be able to remember seeing them all and be able to recall these experiences for years to come.

So introduction and disclaimer out of the way, I'll get down to the day-to-day running of who I saw and what happened. This could be a long one!



WEDNESDAY:

On Wednesday morning, Jade and I woke up, had one of her mum's delightful bacon sandwiches and beautiful cuppas and slowly but surely after catching up with the latest episode of Geordie Shore got showered, dressed, packed up and ready for our trek to Leeds. Jade's family spent the morning looking at our pile of stuff and looking back at us as if to say "you are taking far too much" but we were adamant that we needed it all and didn't actually have that much, in comparison to what other people would be taking. Crikey o' Reilly we couldn't have been more wrong.

We then embarked on the long trek through to Leeds, driven by Jade's mum and accompanied by her sister, while we both napped in the back. After about an hour, we arrived at Bramham Park, where we then had the mammoth task of strapping all our stuff to our backs and struggling up to our chosen campsite whilst moaning and huffing and puffing. It was at this point, we decided, we actually did have too much stuff. Nevertheless, in less than an hour, we were through all the gates, wrist-banded up and had successfully pitched our huge tent all by ourselves. I couldn't have been prouder!

Pitching our tent and carrying all our stuff through the gates was thirsty work, so at this point, I did actually indulge in a drink or two, but they were much much needed after the venture into the camp!

A snapchat I sent to those who might've doubted our pitching skills!

After we had got settled, we went for a walk around the park, looking at the stalls in the village and what foods were on offer, before going to get our Over 18 wristbands. During this walk, we encountered some interesting characters to say the very least and Jade came to terms with the harsh reality of the long-drops and almost had a breakdown.

Later on, we headed back to our tent and rifled through the huge bags of shopping we'd brought to find something to eat. We decided on spaghetti hoops and bread rolls, with the help of my solid fuel stove. This was a task that we initially thought would be quite easy. Ten minutes later, we needed the fire brigade. The instructions to the stove stated to use '1-2' tablets, so I placed two on to the stove and let Jade light them. Within a few minutes flames were incredibly close to setting our tent on fire, and panic set in, we were trying like idiots to blow the flames out, only for them to get worse and then I was ready to bolt for the water point to extinguish the raging fire that had ensued. It was quite an ordeal to say the least. In the end we ended up tipping the spaghetti off the stove and covering the whole thing with a mess tin, to put the fire out. It wasn't a total disaster though, only half of the spaghetti hoops ended up on the floor.

The end result of our first cooking attempt!

After our near-fatal cooking attempt, we went off on another walk and spent the rest of the evening, drinking our drinks whilst watching the fairground on the hill and laughing at the crazy drunk folk on the rides, before heading back to camp for a well needed sleep.


THURSDAY:

With the first night over, we woke up and decided to head into Leeds to pick up a few things and treat ourselves to a McDonald's after our failed attempt at cooking the previous night. So we went for the shuttle bus into Leeds where we spent a few hours shopping, before our two other fellow campers joined us for the rest of the festival. Whilst in Leeds, we gorged on McD's and I also met Helen Melonlady, a blogger and YouTuber which I'm sure many of you are familiar with. Her channel is one of my absolute favourites and despite looking like a total tramp in a dodgy 80's Oxfam jumper and muddy wellies with scratty hair, I decided to go over and ask her for a photo. She was more than happy to oblige and was as lovely as I expected, and I actually felt a little star-struck afterwards! It was a great start to the weekend.

Not my most photogenic or best quality picture, but look, its Helen!

When we got back to the camp we ended up having to up-route our tent which we had done so well at pitching, because a gang of young girls had put their tents so close to ours, they were practically inside it, despite there being plenty of room around us. In a bit of a rage, we decided to move which took a fair bit of effort but thankfully it wasn't too bad and we ended up in a better spot. Especially as a Hannah Montana/High School Musical sing along later ensued, right near our original spot. It was actually a blessing in disguise, because I would not have coped being smack bang in the middle of that karaoke session.

We spent the night chilling in our tent, listening to the hilarious conversations some of our neighbouring campers were having and laughing our heads off. We also managed to successfully use the solid fuel stove properly, meaning we wouldn't go hungry for the rest of the weekend!

We sussed it!

FRIDAY:

We started our morning, by putting our faces on and daubing ourselves in UV paint, as you do. Before demolishing a few pasta mug shots and heading over to the arena for the first day of music.

Me and Jade excited on the first day of bands

Unlike other festivals I've been to, where I've kind of gone along with everyone else's band watching agendas, this year I had my own and put myself in charge of organising who we were seeing and when. To begin with, I dragged Jade to the BBC Introducing stage where a band from my home-town were playing. While I've never seen Allusondrugs before, I knew of them and knew that they hailed from my hometown of Castleford and had been doing really well, getting gigs left right and centre, and I had generally heard a lot about them, so I decided to head over and show my support, regardless of the fact I'd never heard/seen them before. Needless to say, I really enjoyed them, I recognised a few faces in the crowd too. It was clear that the compere guy had a lot of love for the band and backed them 100% and I could easily see why. I liked their sound a lot and the crowd clearly did too. The first band of the weekend, and I wasn't disappointed.

After their set, we headed over to main-stage for Young Guns and Papa Roach. Both of which I thoroughly enjoyed. Papa Roach are one of my favourite bands, and I have seen them before at one of their own gigs, but they were astounding again this time round. Jacoby had everyone's attention and those who were familiar with their songs were singing away and it was a great atmosphere, and for me one of my favourite acts of the weekend. We stuck around for Sleeping With Sirens, who niether of us had heard of before and quite frankly don't want to hear again. It was so confusing. The singer didn't really look like he fitted with the rest of the band and his voice was somewhat baffling, Barry White one minute, Pinky and Perky the next. Not my kind of thing, and to be honest, I think Papa Roach should've had the higher slot, but that's just my own opinion, they clearly appeal to many other people, but it didn't do anything for me.

Papa Roach killing it!

A Day To Remember were the next band on the bill and although I'm not a huge fan, I do like a few of their songs and therefore wanted to see them in action. It was a good set, and unlike Sleeping With Sirens, I think they actually warranted their place in the line-up. After ADTR, was You Me At Six, who I'm not a fan of. Lots of my friends like them, but I've have never got on board. Having said that, I've seen them more than many of their fans might have, just due to the fact, they often support bands I do like, or I often stick around during their festival sets in order to get a good spot for the next band. However, luckily for me, Jade didn't mind missing them, although she is a fan, she had seen them before and wanted to go catch a glimpse of The Kooks on the NME stage instead, because her mum is a huge fan.

A Day To Remember

So we ditched YMAS for The Kooks, and although I don't particularly like either band, The Kooks were interesting to see, as I remember their songs coming out while I was in school and it was kind of nostalgic to hear some of their songs again. After The Kooks we bolted back to main-stage for Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, who I have to admit, I was a bit apprehensive about. The placement of their set within the line-up baffled me somewhat, as it always does when a band or artist shoots into the limelight, despite having only a few well-known songs. However, in order to get a good viewing spot for Blink 182 afterwards, I gave them a go. Before seeing them, I was a total noob. I didn't really know any of their songs and actually thought the DJ guy was Macklemore and the rapping guy was Ryan Lewis - my bad. Despite the fact that the bass was incredibly loud and they played 'Can't Hold Us' twice, I genuinely really enjoyed their set. Macklemore engaged with the crowd massively, at one point even taking one crowd member's fur coat and wearing it himself. At times, it seems as though the rapper might be slightly vain, but then it becomes apparent that he is also not afraid to make fun of himself whilst donning a Rod Stewart style wig and dancing like a buffoon. Overall, the apprehension I felt about seeing this set quickly diminished and it was possibly one of the most fun sets of the whole weekend.

The Kooks

Macklemore in his acquired fur..

..And without

As aforementioned, Blink 182 were at the top of Friday's bill. A band which defined my teenage years and a band which I am fortunate enough to have seen live three times now. I never saw them live during their hey-day but instead, after their hiatus and after they had settled their differences. Nevertheless, for me personally, Blink 182 shows have always pleased. Since returning from Leeds, it was made apparent to me that the band received a lot of criticism about their live performance at the Festival. Now even though they are one of my favourite bands, I won't lie, they are not the best in terms of their live performance, but I don't believe that anyone who goes to a Blink show expects a 100% polished performance. The attraction of seeing them live, for me anyway, is more about nostalgia and taking you back to your pre-pubescent angst ridden days but doing so in a humourous, light-hearted way. There's no doubting that their shows aren't perfectly played and executed, I think they even know that themselves, hence Tom's not so subtle habit of throwing in an inappropriate joke when he messes up or improvising crude lyrics when he forgets the real ones. But in my book, the novelty of seeing a Blink show and singing along to every song like you're still a spotty mischievous teenager much exceeds the need to see a pitch perfect and instrumentally perfect show.

Blink 182 headlining

Why hasn't he married me yet?

SATURDAY:

Saturday began with a trip to the NME tent to sit in the sun and watch Gerard Way. I'm not by any means a fan of his really, but as a 14 year old, I was a huge My Chemical Romance fan and as I never got to see them live, I thought I'd head over and see him as the next best thing and to see what he had to offer. It was slightly surreal to see a man who hand fronted a band who headlined main stage at this festival only three years ago, opening on the second stage. He took it very much in his stride though, and loads of old MCR fans were there supporting him. I thought his songs were alright, I don't think he'll be massive but they were definitely listen-able. I loved the fact he was so open and honest saying things like "This is another one you definitely won't have heard but thank you for coming anyway and I'm sure you'll like it!" He knew people weren't familiar with him as a solo artist yet but it didn't phase him at all, he was really positive and happy and I genuinely think he's a great frontman, with band or without.

After Gerard, we headed back to main stage to see what was occurring over there and we were faced with the noise that is Crossfaith. That was bizarre. We'd been warned that they sounded a bit crazy but had no idea. Definitely not my cup of tea and it actually threw it down during their set so luckily for us, we managed to escape and went and sat in the Festival Republic tent to chill until it brightened up a bit. After about 10 minutes, it did and we headed back over to catch Blood Red Shoes. Blood Red Shoes are a band that I recently got into and had been listening to a lot in the run up to Leeds Fest, so I was excited to see them and I was very pleased with their set. I knew a fair few of the songs that they played and even though not many people watched, I loved it. Definitely have a new found girl crush for Laura-Mary Carter after watching them,

Blood Red Shoes

We stuck around for a bit of Deaf Havana afterwards and didn't expect to like them but they were actually alright. I'd never heard them before so wasn't sure what to expect but they were pretty decent. After them, we went over to the NME tent to catch Mallory Knox and Twin Atlantic, who I'd recently heard and liked the sound of. We did end up missing most of Mallory Knox because we found an awesome stall that sold cheese and ham toasties but they were delicious so it was kind of worth it! The bit of Mallory Knox that we caught was good and I took a bit of a shine to the singer. Twin Atlantic were great also, but having seen them a few times before, I knew they would be. Not a huge fan of theirs but I know a few songs and love the lead singer's voice. Crowd loved them and it made for a great atmosphere.

We left Twin Atlantic slightly early to dash to main stage for Enter Shikari who I've also seen a number of times but they're a band I will always go see because I liked them a lot when I was younger. Anyone who has seen Shikari will know they go a bit crazy, Rou tends to give a few philosophical speeches in between excerpts of their songs mashed together with the wildest of sounds and mental circle pits and general carnage. Who wouldn't want to see that again and again?!

Enter Shikari creating chaos as per.

Vampire Weekend were after Shikari and although I'm not a fan, I stuck around because I wanted a good spot for the next band. I have seen Vampire Weekend before briefly and kind of just stood there a bit embarrassingly until A-Punk, which is kind of what I did this time as well, but I did recognise a few more songs and generally did enjoy it, which I wasn't expecting. The lead singer is also somewhat adorable especially in a matching grey tracksuit. I never thought I'd find anybody adorable in a tracksuit.

Next came the band I'd be waiting for most intentively, Queens of the Stone Age. I love QOTSA and am lucky enough to have seen them before, which is why I knew that they would be fantastic. But they even surpassed my expectations and were better second time around. Josh has such, dare I say it, 'swagger' (cringe) that even though he's old enough to be my dad and he's quite ginger, I find him incredibly attractive. I can hear the "ewww"'s echoing already. But seriously, he has such stage presence and I love it. Even though Jade said he looked like he'd fallen out of Emmerdale in his quilted coat and scarf. We were at the second barrier for their set which coincidentally, is where I was last time I saw them and I got a good view. The only thing that put a slight dampner on it for me, was the gaggle of very musically uneducated girls behind me who kept squawking "I'm only here for Paramore, this is shit, etc etc". That was of course until they spotted Hayley Williams watching Queens from the side of the stage, at which point they screeched something along the lines of "OMG OMG Hayley's there" to which I dryly replied, "Yes, that's because she likes real music." It angered me that they didn't appreciate QOTSA. Each to their own of course but they are very lucky that they left with their faces still attached, because for me, Queens were possibly one of the best bands of the whole weekend, if not the best. It had been raining throughout the day and the sun was setting and the sky was such an amazing shade of red at one side and grey at the other and it was just the perfect setting and the perfect atmosphere. I enjoyed it so much that I only got one photo, so you'll have to trust me on this one!

The one photo I got of QOTSA, Troy looking serious

After Queens of the Stone Age, I was done for the weekend day. I've seen Paramore a number of times and so wasn't too fussed about their set. We stayed and caught a bit of their set and it wasn't at all bad, but having seen them before and not being a massive fan of theirs, we decided to get pizzas and head off back to the campsite.

SUNDAY:

We decided to leave on Sunday night rather than Monday. Cop outs I know, but Jade had work the next day and we wanted a McDonald's and a bath (not together..). So on Sunday morning, we packed up the tent and took our stuff to the car to save ourselves a job later that night. As there wasn't really anyone we wanted to see that day until Royal Blood, we took our time and chilled a bit. We took some chairs down to the arena with us because it was a sunny day and we just fancied a comfy day by the side of the NME tent. We got there in time to catch a bit of Marmozets, who I thought were great, and from West Yorkshire, so equally great. Becca Macintyre is a crazy front-woman and the rest of the band certainly follow suit. I have seen them before and they were so mad I was a little scared! They were slightly more tame this time, but still as kickass.

Royal Blood were next and they were a band who everyone seemed to go see. They've had massive success and loads of plays recently and I think because of that they were one of the most anticipated bands of the whole weekend. The crowd for them was huge and so was their sound. I love their music, I first heard 'Little Monster' on an advert and looked them up, only to find a select few other songs on Spotify which I loved equally as much. With only a few songs actually released, everyone has been waiting eagerly for their album to be released and shortly after Leeds Fest they released it and it shot to number one. I can only imagine that everyone has seen their sets at festivals over Summer and seen how great they are. They were definitely as good as I hoped and everyone else seemed to think so too.

Sticking with the NME tent for the rest of the afternoon, there was only one other band I wanted to see which was Lower Than Atlantis, who I think fitted right in with the rest of the bands that day. Like Royal Blood, I'd heard one of their songs and was instantly intrigued. I enjoyed their set and then we stuck around for Cage the Elephant and Don Broco but was a little more focused on devouring the footlong hot dog and curly chips we bought rather than taking any notice of what was going on band-wise. After eating we resorted to people watching as we weren't huge fans of the bands playing at that moment in time. We definitely saw some characters, one woman was entirely on her own, entirely off her face and doing some sort of hilarious interpretive dance during Cage the Elephant which was highly entertaining.

Later, we went over to main stage ready for Arctic Monkeys. We sat towards the back of the arena for a while as we weren't too fussed about Imagine Dragons or Jake Bugg. I actually enjoyed Imagine Dragons to say I'd not heard much from them but still just wanted to chill towards the back, so we perched up by a load of other people on their chairs and just sat back and relaxed for a bit in the sun. In between Imagine Dragons and Jake Bugg, the hilarious woman from before reappeared and had us a load of others around us, in absolute stitches with her dance to 'Ring of Fire' by Johnny Cash which was played during the break. At one point she even made us cry laughing, when she took it upon herself to sit in a spare chair which belonged to a group of women in front of us. We all just looked at each other in hysterics before a song by The Kinks came on and she bolted upright and started her comical dancing again before running down to main stage. It was arguably the funniest moment of the whole weekend, but I'm sure you had to be there.

I've never jumped on the Jake Bugg bandwagon. I appreciate the fact that he's slightly different to other people around at the moment but I'm not a huge fan. Everyone around us seemed to really enjoy his set but for me, it sounded like one long song. I was just waiting patiently for Alex and co later on.

Arctic Monkeys, I have to say are absolutely one of my favourite bands. Ever since my dad handed me his copy of 'Whatever People Say I am, That's What I'm Not', I was hooked. I loved their sound, I love Yorkshire and I love everything about them other than when Alex dons those dodgy Americanisms. But, the first time I saw them live, in 2009, they did really disappoint me. Alex was clearly inebriated on something and generally messed it all up a bit. That might sound contradicting after what I said about Blink before, but it was an actual shambles and I was a bit peeved about the whole thing. However, since then, they've released some massive songs, various new albums and experimented with all sorts of sounds, all of which I've loved. They even partnered up with the man I spilled my feelings for earlier on, Josh Homme, which was a match made in heaven, if you ask me. After watching their Glasto set last year, I knew that they had upped their game and I didn't think they would disappoint me this time. I was 100% right. Of course Alex was a bit merry but he didn't screw up and spent the whole set declaring his love for us White Rose's. It was everything I expected and more. Everyone was singing every word, and it was a brilliant end to the whole festival. I'm so happy I can say I've seen them properly now, without being let down. AM was in my opinion, a top album and to hear some of the songs from it live, was great. Arctic Monkey's, I genuinely love you.

Arctic Monkeys ending the weekend in style

Just look at that silhouette!

And that was my Leeds Fest experience. It was a great weekend and I saw some great bands and really enjoyed myself. Did not expect this post to me this long and I would be surprised if anyone actually read it all but hey, I promised it so I did it!


Aaaand breathe!

Crazy few months - Graduation/Moving Out/PGCE/Holidays & Festivals

Wow.

Everything has been a little bit hectic since my last post.

First of all, and possibly saddest of all, my university experience came to an end. On the 21st of July, I graduated from the University of Huddersfield, which was a bit of a surreal day and left me with a whole load of emotions and feelings. Firstly, happy that I'd passed and was now the proud owner of a degree, sad that my three years at uni had come and gone in the blink of an eye, scared at the prospect of making a fool of myself whilst on stage during graduation, and also scared at the fact that I had absolutely no post-graduation plans whatsoever. Nevertheless, the day came and went and it wasn't nearly as scary as I had anticipated, I didn't fall off stage, I didn't look as stupid as I thought I would, and I actually had a great deal of fun.

Photograph courtesy of Shauni Hetherington via Facebook

The day after graduation was the day I'd been dreading for months on end - moving out day. The day I had to say goodbye to the friends I'd pretty much lived with on and off for the last three years. The friends that I shared every innermost thought and deepest secret with. The friends that knew every last thing about me, right down to how I was feeling at any given moment to what I was probably thinking at any given moment. The friends that I am very rarely seen without and very rarely cope without. It was one of the most emotional days of my life, as dramatic as that might sound. It took us all weekend to move our stuff out of the flat and the sheer amount of stuff we threw away was ridiculous (so much so that the binmen had a good rummage and took out some of it for themselves!) Eventually we left our beloved home and went our own separate ways, which was devastating, but hopefully we will not be seeing the last of each other because those girls mean the world to me and I hope the feeling is mutual!

Our humble abode looking empty and downright spotless!

So after moving out of the flat, came the big move back to Castleford - another event I'd been dreading for months. Cas is my home-town and I'm not the kind of person to forget my roots but at times it can be such a dull place, where everybody has their own little routine and many people lack ambition. Those who do have aspirations and ambitions rarely stay here, and instead venture off to nearby cities and towns with a little more to offer. That being said, the novelty of coming home to a place I grew up in, does often sound really appealling and sometimes fills me with excitement, but this novelty wears off very quickly, when I realise how mundane life round here really is. 

Now as I've probably documented before, when in Castleford, I stay with my grandma, because she is the only member of the family with a room spare for me! And because it's my escape place, and a place I feel comfortable and well looked after in. My grandma and grandad do and have done an awful lot for me, so I do like spending time at their house and in their company and I'd like to think they enjoy having me here too. While staying here, I've had some epic meals and learnt a lot about my family that I never knew before and I have genuinely really enjoyed having long chats with my grandma and looking at old photos trying to decide which baby is which grandchild whilst laughing at our shocking fashion choices. The last month has had me yo-yo-ing between Castleford and Huddersfield for work, but I have actually enjoyed spending time in both places and having the best of both worlds.

(See below for some of the aforementioned hilarious baby photos me and my grandma managed to unearth!)

However, my time dipping between Castleford and Huddersfield is about to come to an end, because I will be moving back to the Hudd next week for another year of studying, only this time for a PGCE (Post-graduate Certificate of Education.) During the last two months, I applied for a place on a Further Education PGCE, because I had no idea what I really wanted to do with my degree and the only real career I had ever toyed with was the prospect of being a teacher. Everyone who knows me, knows just how much I relish the opportunity to check over other people's pieces of work, offering better ways to word sentences and ideas to improve whatever the project might be. This combined with my knowledge of Media Studies, could potentially be my ideal job. With this in mind, I applied for a place on a PGCE course at my former university and with no experience and little confidence in myself, I honestly didn't think I would even be considered for a second, let alone given an interview. But, obviously, I was, and I can't even describe how nervous I was for the interview, in which I had to give a presentation (something I don't exactly excel at!) But I bit the bullet, and threw myself into the interview whole-heartedly, and am so proud of myself because it meant I was successful and will be starting the course within the next month. I am incredibly excited for this next chapter and can't wait to get stuck in.

As if all of the above wasn't chaotic enough, I have also been on a holiday with my family and even spent last weekend at Leeds Festival, which I am planning on writing a post about, very soon. July and August have been hectic to say the least, hence my distinct lack of posts. I won't make any promises about having lots of posts to come, because in a fortnight I start my course, which I have been warned, is pretty full on. But I will definitely be posting about my Leeds Fest experience before I go AWOL again.

Baaad Baaad Blogger

I have a confession to make; I've cheated on my blog.

One of the reasons I've been absent lately is that during the last two weeks or so, my boyfriend went to Glastonbury and I was left in charge of his blog. His blog is more of a diary style blog, on which he posts everyday and so I vowed to keep up with it while he was away.

I did not anticipate how hard it would be to do daily blogs! I was on holiday in Scarborough at the time and while I did loads of cool stuff, I found it really hard to do interesting blogs every single day. And for that reason, I took a bit of a blogging break.

Usually after a Scarborough trip, I do a lengthy blog about what I've been up to, complete with a few pictures, but that's basically what I did, only over on Jud's blog instead, and I did it more to cater for his blog rather than mine. But by all means, to read those posts, follow this link and read from about 24th to the 30th of June.

In other news, I got my uni results back a few weeks ago and am pleased to say I'll be graduating a week on Monday with a 2:1 in Media and Popular Culture! I am incredibly nervous for graduation and absolutely convinced that I'll do something ridiculous like lose my hat, trip up or have my gown tucked in my knickers, but hey I suppose at least I'll be remembered right?

The next week is going to be pretty emotional. Got all my C7 gang coming back for their graduation and to move everything properly out of the flat that we've lived in for two years. Some of them have already moved out but are coming to stay next week so that we can party, and reminisce and probably cry a lot too. I am so close to these girls that I am genuinely going to be lost without them, so I fully expect that I'll be a quivering mess this time next week.

Having said all this, I have decided on my next move. I am applying for a PGCE in teaching for further education at the minute and while I'm super excited at the prospect of coming back to Huddersfield and studying something new and different, I also don't want to get my hopes up too much, because I don't want to jinx myself. If all goes to plan, I'll be back in Hudds in September and hopefully my friends can come and visit all the time, and I'll be closer to my boyfriend and my best friend who is currently off travelling but will be back in September. So yeah, fingers crossed for me!

That's pretty much an update of what's been occurring and why I've left my lovely blog in the lurch for a few weeks. (That and the fact I haven't really been shopping and therefore don't have anything to show off!) But hopefully, once next week has passed, I'll have plenty of blogging time, because I'll be back in Castleford and bored out of my tree.

So that's something to look forward to....or not!

Oh and before I forget, I'm trying to get rid of loads of stuff so that my grandma doesn't flip when I arrive with a million boxes of my belongings to store at her's over Summer. So check out this link to my Ebay, as I'm getting rid of loads of clothes at the minute.

Recent purchases and bargain buys

Payday showed its beautiful face last week and in my book, that means only one thing - shopping!

I headed off to town with one of my best friends and fellow shopaholic, Jade and spent far too much money on clothes as per usual.

Unfortunately it wasn't a successful shopping trip for me because I made the rookie error of not trying things on before buying them and therefore got home to find nothing fit me! However, after a second trip and a few exchanges, I now have a few new purchases that I am super happy with!

My absolute favourite buy has to be these Leigh Super Soft Skinny Jeans from Topshop. I never really shop in Topshop, because I feel that it's one of the more expensive high street fashion retailers and I rarely have any money so I tend to steer clear. That's not to say I don't love their clothes, I've never had any problems with anything I have bought from there, I just can't afford to do it very often! However, we headed in for a browse and ended up picking up a whole host of jeans to try on in the fitting rooms.

Generally I have issues with jeans, because I can never find any that fit me soundly. I am quite a slim person, and during my adolescence, the only shape I had was that of a stick. I had no shape and was incredibly thin for years, but then all of a sudden I finally gained hips and am now still a slim person, only with an abnormally large derrierè. For this reason I struggle with jeans and the only place I've found that sell jeans which do fit me nicely is, H&M. But, since we had plenty of time, I thought I'd grab a few different styles in Topshop and see which ones did me favours and which ones didn't.

Of all the styles I tried, I found that the best were the Leigh range. The pair I tried on were incredibly comfortable, looked good, fit me well and left me plenty of room to eat as much as I would in a pair of leggings and not feel like I'd been cut in half. With this in mind, I scouted round the shop for other styles in the same range and came across this pair, which I am in love with. I have worn them to death this last week and can safely say that even though they were about £34 with student discount, they are definitely one of my soundest investments.

To go with my new b-e-a-utiful jeans, I picked up two cami style tops from H&M. The one on the left is probably my favourite, it has a beautiful floral pattern and has buttons up the front and a racer style back. I'm not massive on floral but I love the print on this. The second one, on the right is very me. It is a simple cami with a black and white chevron style print and I love it. I love this style of vest at the minute and they look great with a good pair of jeans. I think both of these were around £9.99 in H&M.

Keeping with H&M, on my first shopping trip I bought this dress in a size 8 because although I am usually a 10 or 12, this style of smock dress is a bigger fit and since there were no other sizes, I thought I'd see if I could get away with an 8. This did not happen, I got stuck in the dress. I was gutted, I'd fallen in love with the boho paisley print and style of this dress and when I realised I couldn't even get my arms through it, I could've wept. I headed back to H&M yesterday to exchange the dress and could've wept again because out of nowhere, there was now a 14. Even though it wasn't a 10 or 12, I needed to own this dress, so I tried the 14 on in the fitting rooms and beamed from ear to ear to find it fit almost perfectly. I am so happy about this and can't wait to wear it. I love smock dresses and now I am on the look out for more in the same style. This dress was £14.99 and well worth it.

Another recent purchase I am obsessed with are these flat velvet chelsea boots from ASOS. I am severely lacking in decent shoes and all I ever wear are Converse or Vans and therefore was in dire need of something I could wear with all the pretty dresses I seem to be acquiring lately. I did have a pair of creepers which doubled as ankle boots as my go to dressy shoe, but they are starting to fail me and need replacing. I started looking online for something similar, something cool but dressy, and actually came across a few styles that I liked, but these ASOS boots came out on top. They were £35 and another solid investment, allowing me to ditch my scruffy sneaks in favour of something a little more prim and proper. (But not too much, it is me we're talking about...!)

Last but by no means least on my list of recent purchases: Scrunchies. Yes they're back in fashion, yes they cost twice as much as they did in the 90s and yes everyone and their mum are wearing them, but I don't care, I'm all over this! I seem to be hoarding scrunchies since I jumped back on the bandwagon and have acquired quite a collection. They are so much more comfier than a regular hair elastic and don't rip my head apart when I've had them in all day for work. Pretty and practical, that's what we like. Here are a few of the ones I've bought recently. Coloured, tartan, velvet, you name it, I'll buy it!

And those are all my recent bargains and buys, I love this type of post so feel free to link me your own recent hauls!

McBusted @ Leeds 30/04/2014

--- May contain spoilers for those of you who are yet to go! ---

If you read my blogs on a regular basis you will probably know that one of my biggest obsessions and guilty pleasures is McFly. I've been part of the McFly army since the beginning and even though I get flack for it all the time, I am not ashamed to say I adore them. Everyone had a favourite band growing up that defined who they were and and consumed their adolescence, and as cheesy as they may be, McFly are mine.

Anyone who pays attention to the media will probably realise that last year, McFly announced that they were uniting with James Bourne and Matt Willis of Busted fame for a tour concentrating on the biggest hits of both bands. Now this announcement was met with excitement and also apprehension for me. This was firstly because a McFly tour excites me, no matter what the circumstances are, but the apprehension was mainly because I wasn't actually a massive Busted fan. I didn't dislike Busted, I just wasn't as obsessed with them as many others in my school were. However, I do love a lot of their songs and often bounce around like a lunatic when Year 3000 comes on in Camel Club. Having said this, I was also a little apprehensive because I was all ready and waiting for McFly to release their 6th album and all of a sudden this was put on the back-burner to make way for McBusted.

Regardless of my mixed emotions I bought tickets for their show at Leeds First Direct Arena and I was far from disappointed. The show was awesome. As promised it was a mish-mash of McFly and Busted hits to date and it was fun, nostalgic and downright beautiful! The chemistry between them all is clear and it makes for a really great show. There were some memorable moments during the gig, from their entrance in a Back to the Future style Delorean, to their synchronised kicking and chasing each other round the stage to the three huge inflatable boobs that emerged for Year 3000 - the production values were fab. This was the first time I'd visited this venue and its amazing, it's so different to other venues and it's layout is so unique. Although that meant our date missed out on one aspect of their show, it didn't phase me massively, because I still enjoyed it. The only thing I would've wished for would be a few more McFly hits, or maybe just one or two older, less popular songs for those of us who have been there from the start. But overall, it was awesome, a real feel-good, happy event and I can't wait to go see them again at Scarborough Open Air next month.

I went to the gig with two of my best friends and we also enjoyed some wine, hearty food and boozy cocktails before the show at TGI's, which was also great fun. Check out some of the pics I took of our antics below and you're heading to see McBusted, I hope you enjoy just as much as we did!

Slowly creeping into 2014...

As its New Years Eve and I'm home alone with no plans (sad), I'm going to take this opportunity to do a little blog reflecting on the past year and looking forward into 2014.

To be honest, 2013 hasn't been significantly good or bad. It started out alright and has had its ups and downs but generally it hasn't been anything to write home about. I have had some awesome times in Huddersfield this year, and some extremely stressful ones too. From epic nights out, to chilled nights in, gigs with friends and gigs with my boyfriend, I have made some really great memories this year. But towards the end of the year, I have also been incredibly stressed and at times, a nightmare to deal with, due to the demanding workload and stresses of final year.

This is probably the most cliche thing I've ever said but I guess in some ways, 2013 has been a year of change. Both my boyfriend and one of my closest friends moved out of Huddersfield this year which was initially quite daunting and really hard for me to get used to. The thought of having these two no longer within arms reach was really hard to comprehend at first and I for one, did not like it! However, they didn't just get fed up of me, they actually both left to pursue their placement years and I am very proud of both of them. My boyfriend moved to Leeds at the beginning of the year which upset me a bit but he managed to get himself a cracking placement within the university, meaning I still get to see him a hell of a lot as he is always in and out of Huddersfield. He seems to be enjoying the placement overall and it has given him some great experience and opportunities which is fantastic and I am really happy for him. My friend, Hannah, moved back home for her placement year and has had two placements up to now, both of which have been extremely beneficial and the opportunities she has been given from both have been phenomenal and I am super proud of her and even though it absolutely sucks that she no longer lives with us and I cried my eyes out when she left, I am so happy that her placement year is proving to be so valuable and worth while.

Everyone around me seemed to be so focused and driven this year, that I, personally had a minor breakdown. For ages I found myself thinking "What the hell am I actually doing with my life?", and "Why aren't I as successful and switched on as everyone else?" Obviously I am still in university and working towards a degree but to be completely honest, I still don't have the foggiest idea what I want to do with my life after uni. There are so many people that I see in uni everyday that seem so mature, ambitious and focused and know exactly where they want to be in five years time. Whereas I still feel like a teenager and am no wiser as to what I want to do, than I was when I first started uni, which is a little worrying. I still have a huge passion for writing but that does not necessarily mean I want to be a journalist, as I just don't have any interest in nitty gritty and edgy stories, I much prefer light-hearted things. I also have no ambition to pursue a career in PR, like many other people in my degree area, as I don't have the self-confidence, charisma or ballsiness required to be a success in that area. I find it hard to put myself out there and talk to people I don't know or people I might be intimidated by, which causes me great problems in uni, as I am often expected to interview or approach random people. I experience a lot of anxiety when it comes to this sort of thing and tend to put things off, which I have found to be a huge setback this year, as it stops me from reaching my full potential with assignments. This is the main reason behind the lower parts of this year and because of this, I have decided to give myself some resolutions for 2014. Now I know that resolutions are there to be broken and I will no doubt forget about them, but I am going to give them a try anyway.

2014 is the year I (hopefully) will graduate from uni and although that is a massive achievement, it also leaves me feeling quite sad as it means I have to join the real world and stop living the student dream. I honestly believe that I will be on a huge downer after graduating because I have loved just about every minute of uni life. I have met the best friends in the world and I can't even cope over the Christmas holidays without them all, so god knows what I will be like when we all leave for good. They better get the Prozac ready cause I will definitely need them come July 2014! There has been talk of me potentially getting a flat with Jade, one of my uni friends, after we graduate but that involves a lot of saving up, so we will have to see what this year brings and hopefully we can make it happen, but if not, I hope we will all definitely still keep in touch.

Until then though, I am going to try my best to get through the next few months without too many stresses. To do this, I aim to:

- Take control with my assignments and don't let myself get so easily distracted

- Try my best to grab opportunities by the balls instead of being scared and anxious in certain situations (easier said than done!)

- Spend less and give myself a weekly budget (also easier said than done!)

- Stay out of other people's business

- Enjoy my last few months as a student

This post had a lot more feels than I initially anticipated but hey ho, I'm going with it! I hope everyone has a much more eventful New Years Eve than me, and I hope your resolutions stay in tact longer than mine probably will!

Happy new year!

My long weekend in Scarborough

Last Summer, I spent five days visiting one of my best friends, Jade, in her hometown of Scarborough in North Yorkshire, (blog post here) and I had so much fun that I decided to visit her again this year.

Scarborough is my absolute favourite seaside town, don't ask me why, but I just love it! And for some reason, everytime I visit Jade, we get lucky weather-wise and therefore get to do loads of fun things. I stayed with Jade from Thursday to Monday and we did something different everyday.

My chosen journey soundtrack, High State - Tear the World Apart (buy it here), Scarborough's South beach looking from St Nicholas Gardens and one of my favourite things about Scarborough - a lemon twist ice cream from Harbour Bar

On the Friday, we went to Whitby, another quaint little seaside town in North Yorkshire. Whitby is well-known for its intriguing sights such as Whitby Abbey, but also for its cute little boutique shops selling everything from seaside souvenirs, Whitby Jet jewellery, confectionery and even home-wares. I hadn't visited Whitby since I was a little kid and my family used to go on Sunday day trips, so it was really nice to come back and reminisce.

A steam train on the way into Whitby, holiday makers enjoying the Sun on Whitby beach and the entrance to Whitby Harbour

Friday night was the highlight for me, because we got to see McFly at Scarborough Open Air Theatre. Anyone who knows me will know I'm a massive McFly fangirl (or Galaxy Defender for any fellow fangirls/boys) and have been for 10 years since they first got together. I've seen them so many times, but never at a venue quite like the Scarborough OAT which is situated outside, and features tiered seating and a lake/pond in front of the stage. Its a really unique venue but I really like it, as you can see perfectly from anywhere in the arena and its incredibly easy to get up and get a drink from the bar at anytime, while still enjoying the gig. The gig wasn't my absolute favourite one that I've been to but its the first time I've been slightly intoxicated at a McFly show and therefore made for a very interesting night! McFly played a fantastic set as always, even though they were only on for a short period of time compared to most shows and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

McFly doing what they do best and me and Jade in front of the stage loving every minute of it!

On Saturday I was feeling a little fragile following Friday night's events, but it was nothing a bit of breakfast and some fresh air couldn't sort out. After coming back to life a little bit, we went to a beautiful waterfall called Falling Foss situated in the North Yorkshire Moors national park. We had a walk through the forest and saw the waterfall which was beautiful but the highlight was Falling Foss tea-gardens. The tea-garden is a small cafe situated in the gardens of a cottage in the heart of the forest, with lots of outdoor tables and seats and a small cabin which serves tea, coffee and freshly-baked cakes. The garden is beautiful and has lots of activities for kids such as a wooden play area and giant jenga. With it being hidden in the depths of the forest, many people probably aren't aware that it exists but anyone who visits should spread the word because it is such a pretty place to sit and take in the surroundings with a warming cup of tea.

The two pictures I did manage to get of Falling Foss

On Sunday we stayed indoors and recuperated while Jade did some university work and I watched trashy telly, accompanied by a beautiful Sunday roast made by Jade's mum - just what we needed after an exciting weekend!

Before I left to catch my train back to Huddersfield on Monday, we hit the beach for a few hours. We indulged in some of our favourite seaside traditions - spending too much money on 2p slot machines, a massive plate of fish and chips from the best fish and chip cafe in Scarborough - The Harbour View Cafe, and my final Harbour Bar ice-cream of the weekend. The perfect end to a perfect weekend.

A couple of snaps from my final day: Scarborough Spa bridge, boats in the Harbour, Scarborough Lighthouse and the best prize in any 2p machine ever - Fun Snaps!