Thank you!

This is just a quick post to thank you for reading my blog. We're already at 551 views which is incredible. It may not seem like much but to me it's fab. I never expected many of you to read it! It's great to know that there's people out there reading my work. Thanks again and happy reading!!

Do you ever feel like this?

Hello there you wonderful readers!

I'm in a strange mood today. It's kind of hard to explain to be honest. I'm a bit under the weather, the usual annoying headcolds, typical to catch one when it's finally beginning to feel like Spring! Anyway have you ever felt somewhat empty... As if there's something important missing from your life but you can't quite put your finger on what it is.  It's as if there's a growing void that you have to fill and if you don't you'll keep feeling like this.

But how do I define what this is?
Let me see.. have you ever felt as if you wanted more from life?
Yes, you have your hobbies, your hopes and dreams but have you ever felt as if you want everything to come together at once and fit perfectly into place ?

I've all these things I want to do, places I want to go, people I want to meet but sitting here with a mug of hot lemon and a box of tissues it seems far from possible.
To be honest I think I'm just wishing my life away but it seems no matter how much of how hard I practice things they aren't improving at a quick enough pace.


Apologies for this rant!
But I suppose there's a lesson in it for all of us if we wish to take it or leave it.
We should flow with life. Yes its okay and actually quite good to be ambitious and want to improve but overdoing it can be bad for us.

Striving to be better than we are can decrease our confidence and make us feel as if we're not good enough. Why can't we just be happy as we are?
I often wonder about that. I suppose it's just human nature to strive to be better than we are but if we can refrain from doing so too often it'll help us because we can only be truly happy when we are happy with ourselves.


This was a longer post than I expected I hope you all don't mind. Apologies if I rambled on a bit but I think I got my message across. There'll probably be more posts about this soon!

Byeeeee!!

What I'm reading

Hey there,

As well as being a big lover of writing I'm a huge bookworm. I have a growing stack of books beside my bed that I have yet to read. Every time I look at them I feel increasingly guilty that I haven't even read a page or two of them. Just like my blogging I've been neglecting my reading and I really miss it. I've been so busy with schoolwork that I haven't had a moment to just relax let alone pick up a book. But I've made up my mind, something must be done and tonight I will read at least two chapters of The Fifth Wave.

Here's the list of books I have yet to read:

1. The Fifth Wave-   Rick Yancy
2. Rain-   Virgina Bergin
3. A Game Of Thrones-   George R. Martin
4. Wolf Hall-   Hilary Mantel
5. The Secret Life Of Bees-  Sue Monk 
6. The Help-   Kathryn Stockett
7. The Ivy of the Angel- Lena Kennedy

So I'd better get started!!

What's all your favourite books?

Hope you liked this book based post, more coming soon if you did!!

A stroll in the park

Life can be tough but I'm a true believer in the remedy of the fresh air.
Whether it's going for a run or sauntering through the forest, it's a great way to enjoy a wonderful day in the sun alone or with friends.
A tranquil setting can be really relaxing and also quite fun!.
Today I went for a stroll in a nearby park with some good friends of mine and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I took a lot of photos and here's a few I'd like to share with you.

Sweet treats!!

Nests being built

A beautiful reflection in a puddle from a rain shower

Tranquil tree

A black and white photo of a historical site

Spirit Animal Award

Spirit Animal Blog Award

A huge thanks to Tadhg, my friend and excellent writer of the brilliant blog https://askateenageaspie.wordpress.com/  for nominating me for this award.
Also thank you to Jamilia the brilliant writer of https://thisizapen.wordpress.com  for also kindly nominating me for this award too!

Rules:

• Post a picture of the blog award on your blog.
• Write about yourself and how much your blog means to you.
• Pick a spirit animal you would be if you could be one
• Select ten other nominees

I'm a coffee addict and chocoholic that thoroughly enjoys reading novels filled with fantasy, sci-fi and the occasional sprinkle of romance. When feeling so inclined I also like to write poetry when my emotions want to spill out onto a page and be transported to the wider world on my blog or on wattpad. I'm also a  lover of music from rock to pop, listening and attempting to play guitar or ukulele. I also enjoy spending time with family and friends. Long walks and runs in an attempt to become fit has become part of my lifestyle

My blog means a lot to me and I should really appreciate my blog more(see my new years resolutions post coming soon!) It's a place where I can express myself and share my thoughts with others. It also helps me to enjoy writing and improve my writing and myself. It's a way to raise awareness of mental health and also to create a place for people to enjoy writing and reading my work and getting involved with life.


If I was a spirit animal I would be:   probabaly a whale I'm not too sure but I aspire to be like the hummingbird spirit animal.  :)

Thanks again for the nominations

Bucket List

Hello and welcome to the first post of the new year!!
Apologies for lack of posts but I'm determined to try make this blog a better success.

Anyway I've decided to create a bucket list because life is short but beautiful and I want to make the most of it!
So without further ado here it is:

1. See a ballet live preferably the nutcracker or the Red Shoes.
2. Be able to play guitar.
3. Go on a roadtrip with my friend to where ever the road takes us
4. Take loads of pictures on the road trip and make a journal
5. Actually continue to make my scrapbook using different crafting methods
6. Write a diary no matter how little each day
7. Finish writing my novel, or hopefully more than one!!
8. Publish a book of my poems
9. Learn as much as I can about philosophy, theology and psychology 
10. Go to a concert
11. Go to Devon and run through a field
12. Get an icecream at the shop shaped like a tardis in Scotland, because really that;s just awesome!
13. Have the courage to share my singing voice
14. Have good healthy eating habits
15. Do a marathon
16. Do a triathlon

That's all for the moment, I'll probably add to it in the next while. So hopefully I'll be able to achieve them! Thanks for reading and if you guys have bucket lists best of luck with them!

Day 3: Joy

"Joy to the world"

What is joy?

Well to me it's complete and utter happiness, it's an emotion even stronger than joy and it enlightens you, filling you with singing butterflies causing a huge smile to develop across your face allowing positive vibes to radiate from you to everyone else.

This joy is brought to children and adults alike at this wonderful Christmas season but giving a smile doesn't just have to be for Christmas. We can bring joy to others and ourselves by simply spending time with others and making them laugh. By bringing joy to others we innately bring joy to ourselves.

So today try start the day a joyful one. Do something good for yourself; do something you enjoy; maybe read your favourite book, listen to some music or have a refreshing bath to relax. But don't forget to do something nice for someone else.

Bring joy to the world. Whether its simply giving a genuine smile to someone who feels down, helping with the housework or spending time cheering up a friend by telling them jokes or hosting a sleepover. 
The list is endless.

So what will you do to bring joy to the world? :)

Day 2 :Peace

"Peace on earth"

Are the lyrics of one of my favourite Christmas hymns; Hark the herald angels sing".
Whilst listening to this song I decided to try think about the meaning behind it instead of just singing the lyrics subconsciously in my mind as if it were a nursery rhyme. I want to feel and experience the true meaning of Christmas.

Imagine if there was absolute peace on earth. No suffering, no hardships, just ultimate peace. Wouldn't it be absolutely beautiful? Although in one sense it would probably appear rather surreal; imagine no coverage of wars or shootings on tv. Its what we've all grown accustomed to but this shouldn't be so. In an ideal world we should be watching and reading news full of joy, happiness, hope and peace but no unfortunately there is always conflict in some shape or form occurring across the globe. It will take a long time for there to be complete and utter peace across the world, it may never happen but if we work together in unison it is possible.

But on a smaller scale we can create peace in our own homes. There's no point having a peaceful home for one day at Christmas if for the other 364 days we're going to be arguing with our parents, squabbling with our siblings and fighting with our friends. Peace is a state of security and calmness.
So lets try hold back that hurtful comment or mean deed. We can have peace and unity in our community daily if only we go that extra mile to try to make it happen.

I wish us all many years of peace

Hope

A poem I wrote a while ago that conveys the sentiment of hope, based on Day 1 of the 12 days of Christmas writing challenge I've set for myself.  I Hope it inspires you to add a little hope to your life.

Hope is a dove that

 soars high above the sky 

Tickling fluffy clouds

By extending it's wing.

Hope is when after

A storm the 

thunder has ceased

To be no more.

Hope is when the clouds

begin to part and the sun

begins to shine as the 

rainbow arcs overhead.

Hope is pure white

Like fresh bed sheets

Or spotless paper

Hope is life.

Hope is the person 

That can also give a 

Smile, to those who 

are in need of it.

Hope is the person

Who gives that helping

Hand to pick you up

when you're falling.

Hope is the kind word

Whispered in your

Ear when you're

Struggling to cope.

Hope is when you know

You can beat those negative

thoughts encircling your mind

And say "No" to all the bad things

Hope is when you

stand at the mountain 

And say "Yes".

I can do it.

Day 1: Hope

In the beautiful words of Emily Dickinson: "Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul"

Hope is a wonderful thing. Particularly at this time of year it's important to look forward. Not to live entirely in the future but to look forward and think about what you want, to be ambitious and have dreams for ideas you wish to make a reality. It's also vital not to live too much in the future becasue you then become too obsessed with trying to do everything and make the future perfect but in reality no one or nothing can ever be perfect.

Why Hope is featured in day one is not just because it was one of the first topics that popped into my head while planning these posts, no, it was because of it's significant importance in the daily lives of citizens  both young and old, across the globe. We humans thrive on it. It's what makes us more positive and gives us something to look forward to.

For without hope in our lives, the world can seem a pretty dull place. Hope gives life to the world and brings light to the darkest of situations. Everything can seem instantly better when we hope and change our mindset. Hoping for tomorrow, hoping for a better day and hoping for love.

Begin by thinking of all things that have happened so far, Take this year maybe or the past few months. Is there anything you want to change? Instead of looking down upon those mistakes, ashamed of your past. Think of it in a new light. Hope that from these mistakes new good deeds and happier memories will blossom and flower into days of  gold. For with hope in our hearts anything is possible.