October... the most transitional of months. Home to Halloween, Samhain, whatever you choose to call it, and the beginning of cold, cold, cold. We begin to contemplate the blustery winter, and the new year and what it may bring. We switch out our camisoles for acrylic sweaters and fleece-lined tights. The leaves are dying, falling, and leaving their bare trees behind like skeletal hands, but we think it's beautiful. I love this time of year. It's just that little bit... spookier.
After spending the year trying to grasp onto, prolong, or reclaim our youth and vitality, we proceed to take a month to indulge in all that is lost or is to become lost. Celebrate death and the macabre, decorate our homes with pseudo souvenirs of all we deem unredeemable. Purge the unholy.
We take down our comfortable fairy lights and family photos, and replace them with gauzy cobwebs and witch hats and severed hands.We strip ourselves of our polished identities, our manners, our fear of offending. No longer aiming to please, we aim to terrify. What a strange holiday this is.
Wren.
dress: missguided
necklace: topshop
Thursday 15 October 2015 / random anecdotes, spooky
Thunder and Lightning
My mom finds the staring rude, but it merely piques my curiosity. Why is my house such a spectacle? I'm beginning to fear something strange and notorious has happened here. Is my house a well-known murder house? My psychic friend tells me she gets 'vibes' here. It seems unlikely - in such a small English city - that we wouldn't know about it. Or are we the victims? Did my whole family die here in suspicious circumstances, and our house is now famously haunted? That, too, seems unlikely.
One of the previous occupants was a doctor, and what is now my kitchen was once his surgery. Incidentally, the kitchen is the place most people feel 'uncomfortable' in my house. Doesn't that sound like the basis for a trashy horror movie? The rational part of my mind argues that these spectators may be former patients, and their interest is more along the lines of 'hey, remember when we used to see the doctor here as kids?' But a long time has passed since then, and my gut tells me most of them are far too young to have ever been treated here. I sort of hope I never find out...
Sunday 20 September 2015 / outfit
September When It Comes
Still, I suppose, it grants me the opportunity to see Wolverhampton in autumn. I can follow the railway-turned-nature reserve and count the burnt orange leaves, and see the silver birch in front of my house change colour.
The dying embers of Summer granted us the nicest day in a long while. The feel of the sun on your skin is one of life's simple joys. Unlike a lot of bloggers, I'm not an Autumn person. I don't really like to be restricted by layers and coats and itchy jumpers. I loathe oppressive grey skies and the constant rain. My central heating hasn't worked in several years, and I walk everywhere, so I anticipate the death of summer with great hesitancy.
The dying embers of Summer granted us the nicest day in a long while. The feel of the sun on your skin is one of life's simple joys. Unlike a lot of bloggers, I'm not an Autumn person. I don't really like to be restricted by layers and coats and itchy jumpers. I loathe oppressive grey skies and the constant rain. My central heating hasn't worked in several years, and I walk everywhere, so I anticipate the death of summer with great hesitancy.
top - mom's (Primark)
skirt - charity shop
shawl - charity shop
boots - charity shop (originally Topshop)
hat - Zara
Saturday 4 July 2015 / nature, outfit
LISTEN TO A BABBLING BROOK AND HEAR A SONG
One of the best things about living in Wolverhampton is that it straddles the city and the beautiful countryside. If I walk fifteen minutes in one direction, I'm in urban heaven. Ten minutes in the other direction, I'm in the heart of rural Shropshire.
The heatwave madness of Wednesday calmed to an ideal 26 degrees, so I decided to spend the day reading in the cemetery. I find them so peaceful - a perfect place to enjoy a good book. I decided to do some exploring instead, and walked along the abandoned railway.
The railway was once used for goods trains, but closed down in the mid-sixties. The railway path itself is lovely, but if you're ever in Wolverhampton, I recommend you use it as a guideline only. If you wander off-path, you'll find yourself taking in brooks, canals, wildflowers, fields, nature reserves, and woodland.
Backpack essentials:
- Snacks (almonds, walnuts, strawberries, banana oat cakes)
- Water
- Book
- Journal
- Pen
- Camera
- Sunglasses
- Sunglasses
It was nice to take out my earphones and enjoy the sounds of mother nature. Reeds of grass rustling in the wind. Insects calling to each other. The babbling of the brook.
I love the muted lavender/pink colour of this dress, and it's so light and airy. It's a recent charity shop find. I can't recommend charity shopping enough. Here's why:
1. It's light on your pocket.
2. You're helping out a charity.
3. It's much better for the environment, for two reasons
a) It reduces waste going to landfill.
b) It reduces the demand for fast fashion.
4. You're not buying into capitalism.
5. By buying leather secondhand, you're not funding this cruel industry.
6. You can (and will) discover quirky things you'd never find in a mainstream shop.
Couldn't you just imagine fairies sleeping in these?
Couldn't you just imagine fairies sleeping in these?
Living on a narrowboat has always been a dream of mine. There are quite a few on the canal. Wouldn't it be lovely to float all the time? I'd also love to live in a motorhome. I did quite a bit of travelling around in my step-grandad's last summer, which was lovely.
Once I'd gotten home and eaten a delicious vegan dinner, I sat outside for a while and finally started reading that book! But the second my bare feet touched the grass, I found myself running and twirling like a crazy person.
There's just something nice about feeling the grass beneath your feet, isn't there? And I much prefer this style of photograph to a stationary posed one - if only because I'm so bad at it! I like just being in my element and seeing what happens.
details:
dress - charity shop
kimono - gift (old)
sandals - monsoon (old)
title lyric: In a World of my Own - Kathryn Beaumont
dress - charity shop
kimono - gift (old)
sandals - monsoon (old)
title lyric: In a World of my Own - Kathryn Beaumont
Monday 8 June 2015 / bahamas, nassau, travel
A DAY IN NASSAU
My day in Nassau started off with the kind of demonic Caribbean storm you see in movies and pray won't occur while you're on holiday. Great. We spent most of the morning peeking out of the balcony and wondering whether the lapse in rain was permanent and if not, whether we'd make it to the large shelter in time if we ran really fast.
We darted outside about midday and to our intense relief, the rain and lightning stopped for good. The sky turned cornflower blue again, and I was stunned at the difference. Nassau was not, in fact, a grey dump but rather a charming city, populated by pastel dollhouse-like buildings and straw-roofed bars.
After manoeuvring through the straw market, the first thing we did was grab a Bahamian Mama at a roadside bar. Obviously.
A nice stroll along the street revealed endless souvenir shops and bars. None of us were particularly interested in t-shirts with dirty messages or personalised shot glasses, though a pirate shop did manage to lure us in. I mean, who could resist an invitation from old Blackbeard himself?
We caught a taxi down to the famous Atlantis Paradise Resort. If you're a gazillionaire and/or Beyonce, you might fancy a night in the resort's Bridge Suite - at $25,000, it's the most expensive hotel room in the world. It was all rather glamorous, but as non-guests we were limited to the casino and shops. Basically, you're only allowed to access the places they can make money from you. Fair enough.
I won $15 on a machine in the casino, so who's complaining? My dad, granddad and I managed to sneak into the beautiful pond area, which is inhabited by various beautiful ocean-dwellers. They were soon joined by a children's snorkelling class, who were awed by the fish, stingrays, and sharks.
They had the coolest water park, complete with a slide that shoots you through shark-infested waters. This sounds like a terrifyingly brilliant experience, but we didn't get to go in the park.
When it comes to travelling, I'm more of an off-the-beaten-track than luxury holiday type person. But I have to admit, I did get a little bit carried away by the opulence and grandeur of Atlantis. The hotel itself was absolutely beautiful.
But for all the casinos and exclusive hotels, my favourite part of Nassau was provided by good ol' Mother Nature. And corny though it may be, whether we're in elite resorts or sleeping in shacks on an Indian beach, the sun and the sky and the sea will always be there.
Tuesday 26 May 2015 / harry potter, outfit, travel
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter review
You know how everyone has that one subject they nerd out over? For some it's Tolkien, for others it's computer games. For me, it's Harry Potter. I credit it with getting me through some of the loneliest years of my life, and for reaching into my head and shattering the limits of my imagination. It's the series that made me want to become a writer. It became the framework to the narrative of my childhood. And it showed me that 'happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.' So you can imagine how excited I was when my mom took me to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, for my 21st birthday. Talk about a bucket list trip!
There were surprisingly few people milling about when we got to Islands of Adventure. Almost no one was in the entrance area, nor in Seuss' Landing or the Lost Continent, both of which we passed through. Might I possibly get to experience the park almost to myself, as authentically as possible? This delusion remained just long enough to reach the gates of Hogsmeade. It was heaving. Everyone in the park was as eager to spend a day in Harry's world as I was. Tiny fans, not even born when the last book was released eight years ago, jumped around excitedly in Gryffindor robes, begging their exhausted parents to take them on the Hogwarts Express.
There were lots of shops straight out of the books, like Zonko's, Honeydukes, and Dervish and Banges. A young girl called Lily (not that Lily) was picked out of the group in Ollivander's for a 'wand chooses the wizard' demonstration. It happened pretty much as in the first movie; she tried out a few wands, causing drawers to shoot open and shelves to collapse, until she was chosen by a wand. It was cute. I spent ages trying to decide which wand to buy. There were dozens to choose from - you could buy the wands of pretty much every character, right down to Fenrir Greyback and Dean Thomas, or you could choose one based on the wood, instead. You could even buy interactive wands that actually made 'magic' happen, if you waved them at certain spots. Some of the death eaters' wands were designed really intricately with skull carvings and the like, but I decided to go with Luna's.
We only had six hours to spend in Orlando, before we had to catch the bus back to Port Canaveral. Personally, I was willing to miss it and stay in Hogsmeade forever, perhaps as a new Hogwarts ghost, but my mom wasn't so keen. I wanted to check out Diagon Alley as well, so I was quick in the other shops. Dervish and Banges had some seriously cool merchandise, like sneakoscopes, omnioculars, remembralls, and quaffles. I really wanted to buy a Monster Book of Monsters, but I forgot! I did buy a Slytherin notebook for one of my slippery friends back home.
At this point, I was getting kind of thirsty, so I bought a pumpkin juice (and a gillywater for my mom). It was weird - all cinnamon and apples, like a non-alcoholic mulled wine. To be honest, I mainly bought the pumpkin juice for the cool bottle. My camera overheated at this point, so no pictures for a while! After this, we decided to catch the Hogwarts Express over to Diagon Alley, in the main Universal Park. I wasn't satisfied with the amount of time we had in Hogsmeade - and we hadn't yet been on any rides - but we were running out of time and I wanted to see everything.
The Express was a feature all by itself! Everyone was allocated a cabin by the conductors, which were shared by six people. A screen on the outer facing window made it look like you were really travelling to King's Cross, waved off by Hagrid and passing through the Forbidden Forest and Scottish lochs. The inner facing cabin door had an effect that made it look as though people were passing by; fans will recognise the familiar voice and silhouette of the 'aaaaanything from the trolley' lady. At some point, the golden trio pass by, debating whether to sit in the cabin or not. It was really quite enchanting! You exit the train at the other side into what has been made to look like King's Cross Station. It looked disarmingly like a real London tube station, and I actually felt like I'd gone home. Bizarre!
We exited the station into a small area that had been made to look like a regular London street, though it strangely seemed to be 1950s London, with rockabilly records in an old fashioned shop window. Piccadilly Circus' Eros fountain has been mysteriously placed outside King's Cross station - wizardry afoot? - but it otherwise looks pretty muggle-tastic. And then, out of nowhere, the Knight Bus! Wizardry definitely afoot.
Suddenly, the famous moving brick wall entrance into Diagon Alley came into view. Except it wasn't really moving, but you know, details. Passing through, I entered what can only be described as an explosion of everything that makes up Harry Potter. Wonky buildings, dragons atop banks, quirky shopfronts, piles of pewter cauldrons... The hustle and bustle of Diagon Alley, the epicentre of Wizarding London, seemed much more appropriate than it had in Hogsmeade. It was also much more closed in, and there was no fake snow somehow pervading the Floridian heat, so it seemed more authentic somehow. Lining the alley were shops I'd grown up fantasising about visiting - Eeylops Owl Emporium with their strange hanging cages, Flourish & Blotts with their moving books and self-knitting needles in the window, Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, where Hagrid bought Harry his first ice cream, Gringott's, Madam Malkin's, the Daily Prophet offices, Shutterbuttons - where I'd been urged to find a real witch camera by the conductor of the Hogwarts Express - and of course, Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, a carnival of a shop, shining manically at the end of the row.
I made a beeline for the giant Weasley twin, tipping his hat to the muggles invading Diagon Alley. In the window is an interactive display for U-No-Poo, a joke constipation product straight from the books. I was thrilled to see it, because I vividly remember reading Half Blood Prince and being thoroughly amused by the accompanying advertisement ("Why are you worrying about You Know Who? You should be worrying about U-No-Poo. The constipation sensation that's gripping the nation!")
It was my favourite shop of either of the parks. It sold all the products that amused us throughout the series: puking pastilles, fainting fudge, extendable ears, skiving snackboxes, and WonderWitch products like pygmy puffs and love potions. Didn't spot any Nose Biting Teacups, though. Probably a good thing. I found a delightful Cycling Dolores Umbridge, which naturally, I bought ASAP. I also bought a chocolate frog (my card was Helga Hufflepuff), and another pygmy puff. As if the one I bought in Filch's Emporium wasn't enough. Their names are Arnold and Aurora.
After that, it was a quick trip to Quality Quidditch Supplies. I left with just a fluttering golden snitch, a Chudley Canons banner, and a Gryffindor jumper. The jumper was $60 before tax, which was sort of out of my budget, but at least I was sensible enough to refrain from buying a quaffle and several t-shirts. A visit to Gringott's yielded a bag of chocolate galleons, knuts, and sickles, and I left another shop with a Gryffindor notebook and a recordable howler. I was very excited to have my own howler, and still haven't recorded it for fear of messing it up. Every time I even think about howlers, the voices of Seamus ("Look, everyone, Weasley's got himself a howler") and Mrs Weasley ("RONALD Weasley, how DARE you steal that car?") clang around my head.
At this point, our time at Universal was coming to a close - really, you need days to fully explore this place - and we headed into the Leaky Cauldron for some 'authentic British food'. It wasn't even close to authentic; the chips were potato wedges, and the sticky toffee pudding seemed to be a hybrid of spotted dick and bread pudding. It was, however, delicious, and I got to wash it down with a mug of butterbeer, so who's complaining? Actually, the butterbeer was kind of gross, but it's something every fan is desperate to try. I've lost count of how many times my uni friends and I attempted it with bottles of soda and treacle from the 99p Shop.
We decided, based on the time we had left, to skip the rides at the Diagon Alley part of the park, and catch the Express back over to Hogsmeade. I wanted to experience the groundbreaking Harry Potter & The Forbidden Journey ride, located back over in Islands of Adventure. I can't tell you how glad I am that I chose to spend the remainder of my time on this ride, because it was incredible. Even if you're not a Harry Potter fan, you will be wowed. I will say, though, if you're arachnophobic or have young children, I'd give it some thought before riding. It's pretty intense.
There was no queue to get on the ride as it was nearly closing time, which was almost a shame as the line was an attraction by itself. Winding through the famous castle, you actually felt like you were in the real Hogwarts as you walked to the ride. The wait is often two hours long, so they give you lots to do in the meantime. Admire the majestic phoenix staircase to Dumbledore's office before watching incredibly lifelike holograms of Harry, Ron, and Hermione discussing you from a floor above ("They're muggles, Hermione. Not morons.") I loved getting to walk through the classrooms - I felt like I really was a Hogwarts student. Catch Neville getting scolded by Snape in the potions classroom! The attention to detail is just spectacular. I had to hurry through all of this in order to catch the ship at Port Canaveral, which was disappointing. Never thought I'd despair at skipping a queue!
The ride itself was just something else. The technology is too unreal for my mind to even comprehend. You sit in a little bench with three others, before the Hermione hologram blows floo powder at you, and off you go. You fly on your enchanted bench through the entire Harry Potter series, living it out as if you really were in it. Some of it is a physical set with animatronics, while other parts of the ride use unbelievably sophisticated projection systems. We flew through the quidditch pitch with Harry and the rest of the Gryffindor team, and I swear to you - as a reasonably mature 21 year old - I thought I was flying and that Harry really was beckoning to me. The technology is that good. I was constantly lifting up my legs to avoid hitting things that weren't even there!
Before you know it, you're being chased by the deadly Hungarian Horntail, fighting off dementors, evading the Whomping Willow and seeking refuge in the Chamber of Secrets. I have to admit, the Forbidden Forest really freaked me out - I wasn't expecting to be attacked by Aragog and his acromantula family! I'm not a fan of spiders at all, and they looked too real for comfort. The dementors were also genuinely scary - too intense, perhaps, for younger kids. At some point, one will attempt to execute the famous Dementor's Kiss, and you'll actually 'see' your soul being sucked from your body. This sophisticated effect is one of the strangest things I've ever experienced - your face literally materialises in the fog, completely separate from your physical self. I've heard it doesn't always work, so I count myself lucky. Don't worry, though, Harry will cast his patronus and save you!
When it's all over, you soar over the beautiful Scottish Highlands back to the castle, to be waved goodbye by Dumbledore, Harry, Ron, and other students. I'm not ashamed to admit that I had to hold back tears; Harry Potter has meant the world to me since I was six years old, and this is the closest thing a fan will ever get to actually living out the books. I suspect many die-hard fans will feel as overwhelmed as I was. You exit the ride into Filch's Emporium, and then immediately run out of the shop and back into the queue for some more...
Unless you're me, and you stupidly left the ride til last. We had to sprint back to the meeting point as soon as we met back up (my mom didn't want to ride), but I was so desperate to do it again. I am, however, thrilled that I ended my day on such a high. I was buzzing!
I haven't yet found words evocative enough to describe the joy my visit to the Wizarding World gave me. It was everything I hoped it would be. Universal have tapped into, I believe, what the fans truly want - an authentic experience that doesn't feel tacky. The park remains true to the slightly quirky, very British spirit of Harry Potter. This is a place to be taken away by, to be at once stilled with wonderment and pepped with fangirlish enthusiasm. This isn't somewhere to buy t-shirts with Harry's face on them, it's the place to buy t-shirts that Harry might actually wear. Even the packaging on the merchandise looks as if it was zapped straight from the movies. Be it by floo powder, apparation, broomstick or plain old airplane, every fan needs to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
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