P.S. tattoo

I totally forgot the main reason I started to write today's post!

I know Sam (http://samanthascopic.blogspot.co.uk/) has been wanting to see a picture of my first tattoo for a while now so here it is:

Apologies for close-up leg shot, not my best angle. But there is my little owl. I know owls seem to be dominating interior design, soft furnishings, jewellery, clothes and everything else recently, but my nickname for about 6 years has been 'owl' and this particular owl is very close to me. She may not look the greatest but this design is from a picture I found in a library book I was using for one of my ancient Greek essays, it is a very old drawing by an ancient Greek of the 'owl of Athena' as the owl was her symbol. I was in two minds to get the foliage either side done or not but I wanted to be true to the picture so I had it exactly as it was and I love it, it's exactly the same as the picture (even if it is a bit bigger than I thought it'd be!!) As soon as I saw it I loved it, then the idea for it to be my first tattoo popped in to my head. Even my mum loves it! 

I am addicted to piercings, I have my nose pierced, upper and bottom lips, 2 normal and 1 cartilage on my left ear and 2 normal and one anti-tragus on my right ear. I can't really get any more piercings, I already look slightly ridiculous with the amount I already have but now I have a new addiction - tattoos! 

I loved the feeling of getting one - it hurts a little but it's really nothing of note, the outline definitely hurt the most but the shading and little details actually felt quite nice! I got this done as my birthday present to me and I'm so glad I did, I love her - and now the nice weather is here I get to show her off as it's on the inside of my right leg, just above my ankle. 

Now I've got to think about what and where the next one's going to be! I'm following what I call 'the wedding dress rule' at the moment, so I'm not going to get any done where they could be seen when I'm in a wedding dress. I think I might stick to the legs as I really like the way they look and they're really easy to cover up / show off.

I got my tattoo done at Alpha Omega studio on St Mary Street, Cardiff, by Morgan.

Sunshine + revision =

So where to begin, it's been a while again!

So my exams have finally begun. I had my first one yesterday, so that's one down... five to go! My next one is tomorrow, I'm dreading it. Ugh. Must remember to refill my fountain pen!

I've been meaning to do a little post about my fountain pen, it's so beautiful. I asked for a really lovely one for my birthday, I've been using my £5 Parker pen for I don't know how long and I thought having a super lovely one would make note taking in lectures that little bit more enjoyable. It's made by a company called Cross and do you know the brilliant thing - it has a lifetime guarantee!! No need for a receipt, if it breaks then I can take it to any Cross retailer and I'll get a replacement, now that's good customer service.

It's a lovely pearlescent white and writes like a dream - thanks parents!

In other news I have been roasting this week, as I imagine everyone has - today was supposed to be rainy, I have yet to see any rain. On the weekend I went to Bristol as Michael is away this week so we had a lovely weekend. I went to visit my great aunt & uncle (this makes them sound ancient, but they're really not, I don't have a first aunt!) and their two children, Nicholas & Katie - along with their two beautiful new cocker spaniel puppies! I WANT ONE!!!!!! These puppies are both rescue pups but both are pedigrees. They are getting a brand new puppy soon, my aunt says she's going to let her have puppies and said I could have one if I wanted, when the time comes - how could I say no?! 

My aunt and uncle live in Weston Super Mare and by goodness there are some right horrors down there. Ugh. The amount of bright red skin I had to look at was just not pleasant. Along with the array of VILE tattoos (there seems to be a bit of a trend for men to have Mum and Dad tattooed on to their boobs, nice) it just wasn't great. Then we saw a massive fight which was great. And then two incidents of beach rescue. It's a bit of a mare at Weston as the tide goes soooo far out and then people walk out to it and then when it starts coming back in, it's very quick so people who don't think about these things get a little bit stuck! 

So yes, Michael is in Barcelona [lucky beast] this week while I'm stuck here doing exams and trying to revise, yawnnn. At least I have something to look forward to, tomorrow my parents and I are heading down to Cornwall 'til Sunday for my sister's birthday, she's 22! Madness. I'm really looking forward to it. I bought her present (while we were shopping on my birthday) from Ollie & Nic, it's a beautiful soft fold up purse and I want it! You can see it here. I'm going to get thrifty in a minute and make some hearts out of floral material for her to hang up in her room, just something nice, nothing fancy. And of course, an origami card as they are my speciality. 

Today I went for a little browse round the shops with my grandma. She was shopping for my sister's birthday present but had to get me something too - she's been doing this since we were little and even though my sister and I are now 22 and 24 respectively, she still has to give the other a present on the other's birthday! She is lovely, I love grandmas. Anyway, I said I wanted to expand my casual bracelet collection as I love wearing bracelets but I just don't have that many and I wanted some that I can wear all the time without bothering to take them off. So I got 2 leather braided bracelets from a little, wonderful, shop round the corner from me on Wellfield Road called Halcyon Daze. They were only £1.50 each (maybe they're not actually leather...). The pictures have come out a funny colour as I'm in my room but here they are anyway

The top two braided ones are the ones I got today, the straggly woven type ones underneath are from Barcelona last year and, yes, that is my Glastonbury wrist band from last year, I'm not leaving it on there to look like a dick I just keep forgetting it's there and haven't really got round to chopping it off, maybe now that it's coming up to a year I should really get round to it...

The other bracelet I got today was a bit of a bargain I thought, it was £6.99 from Ushi's, another shop on Wellfield Road but they also have branches elsewhere.  This has also come out a funny colour, it's mostly greens and golds on this one and I really love it. It's one of those that can be worn with anything and anywhere I think. It's got lovely little wooden beads on the ties too, love little details like that. Ushi's can be quite hit and miss, the clothing section definitely should only be approached if you are 50+ but they do have some lovely bits and pieces in there:

Right I think that's more than enough for one post, I really must start doing more regular, shorter posts as I can't keep writing essays - I mean, who's really going to read all this?! 

Hot & colds

I have a cold. ARGH. I hate having colds, especially when the weather is as beaut as it has been the past few days. My nose stud has disappeared during one of my many nose blows and is probably now in my bin. Brilliant. Well, actually, it probably is brilliant because blowing one's nose numerous times a day with a nose stud in gets painful. Ouch.

Anyway, aside from my poor health I am trying to get going with revision and it's going alright at the moment, hence my lack of posts recently. My exams don't even start until next Tuesday and carry on until the 15th June!! The little beasts on my Facebook page rejoicing in the fact that they've finished already for the year makes me want to throw books at them. Hardback folio sized books.

On the plus side I have definitely got my summer job back, it was a bit touch and go for a while but it's confirmed now, hurrah! So now after my exams what do I have to look forward to? A sprawling summer of days in the park? Days free to read for hours? Making the most of my summer wardrobe? No, of course not. I have weeks of office dress and ill, angry holiday makers to look forward to. But this means I'll be able to pay Michael's mum back for the flights to Australia. Now that is something to look forward to. She paid for mine in advance so we didn't get hit by expensive prices like we did last year. Thanks Heather!

I'm going to Australia again this year with Michael (his family live down there) for his sister, Ali's, wedding and I'm so excited! Also going to Berlin at the end of June for a week.

I guess it's not all work and no play.

I hope everyone's exams are going well and if you've already finished, don't tell me.

(Tattoo pictures for those interested will come later on, I've just tried taking some myself but they make it look a ridiculous shape so I'm going to have to ask one of my housemates to get down on their hands and knees and take a good'un).

Flambé

I'm going to the dress rehearsal of the WNO's latest production of Tristan und Isolde at the Wales Millennium Centre tomorrow and I've just finished reading up on the synopsis as it's an opera I've not seen before so needed to get it in to my head afore tomorrow.  My parents have been taking me to see opera since I was little and I'm really lucky and glad that they have, it's now a big love of mine. My favourite is La Traviata by Verdi, and T&I is going to be my second opera by Wagner. I'm not a big fan of Wagner but my friend Charles is (he got the tickets), as is Stephen Fry, so if it's good enough for Stephen, it's good enough for me. Never mind that I've just seen the running time - 5 hours and 40 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ARGH! This does, thank god, include intervals though. No wonder hardly anyone puts of Wagner opera anymore - epic or what!!

Tonight I nearly set myself on fire trying to flambé a rum sauce for my fried pineapples, I managed to create a fireball in the kitchen which only ended with me carrying the frying pan to the back door (which was open - phew!) and lobbing the frying pan out of the door, managing to set fire to the back door at the same time. It was terrifying. And, of course, by carrying the frying pan to the back door I was fuelling the fire with lots of lovely air so that it got even bigger and managed to cover my arm, how I didn't get severe burns I don't know. So yes, my evening was eventful.

It got even better when Betti and I popped open the champers she'd given me for my birthday and watched 'The September Issue'. It was brilliant, André Leon Talley was probably the highlight and definitely didn't make enough appearances to make me happy! Anna Wintour looked such a sour puss the whole time, Devil Wears Prada may not have been as exaggerated as I initially thought...

On the topic of Vogue, I opened my daily email from Vogue UK and saw the delight that was the Chanel pre S/S 2013 show in Versailles - see the fabulousness here! Some of the clothes are just madness and fantastical, but there are definitely a few items I could see myself sauntering around Monaco in, if I were to ever become a millionaire that is!

I decided this evening that I wanted to do something except twiddle my thumbs while I was watching 'The September Issue' so I decided to do something I've been meaning to do for a while, it's nothing major, just adding a little embellishment to my new Topshop jeans (don't worry it didn't take me the whole film to do, I'm not that inept with a needle and thread!). They are a real pale sky blue, and while they are gorgeous, I felt I needed to add a little colour as they are so light

It's not my neatest work but it'll do, I wasn't concentrating half the time; it's just a little coral pink embroidery around the edges of the pockets, very simple but it keeps my fingers busy and I feel like I'm doing something productive while sitting there and watching fashion documentaries hahah. By the way, if any of you don't have a pair of Leigh jeans from Topshop, just go in and try some on. I got them because I needed to replace the only pair of jeans I had as the rip in the crotch was getting really quite noticeable. Seriously. They are the comfiest jeans I've ever had, and really soft, the label said something like 'super soft ankle grazer' and they really really are lush. However, ankle grazer is optimistic as I am 5'3" and they didn't have my waist in the petite section damnit! They're more like 'normal length' for me. 

Oh dear.

Eat the seasons

Well I haven't posted for quite some time, shame on me! This is just a quick one afore my super long post I plan to write tomorrow in lieu of revision...

Tonight I totes watched Made In Chelsea for the first time and I must admit - I LOVED IT!!! It is fantastic. Also, my flatmate Betti and I made dins and it was gorge, puff pastry with mozzarella and tomato (thanks studentrecipes.com) with salad & balsamic dressing, yummm. Followed by my signature (easiest, quickest and tastiest) dessert - stewed fruit. I've only done this twice [hardly signature then is it], first time with rhubarb - get it while it's in season and delish!! - and tonight with strawberries. We had the rhubarb with vanilla yoghurt but tonight we had vanilla ice cream.

I'm follow my mum in that we both try to buy in season fruit and veg and definitely try to buy British at all times!! Waitrose at the moment have the most delicious British strawberries, they are TINY but very very tasty! 

http://eattheseasons.co.uk/ is a super good website to get to know what's in season at the moment and has recipe suggestions. 

End.

Gluttons

My goodness I am so full, my sister came home today to spend the weekend up here for my birthday and she bought back pretty much the whole of Rick Stein's patisserie, seriously there was so much - thank you staff discount! [If I'd known she'd be laden with so many treats on her return from the SW I'd have sent her down there years ago]. We had so many goodies for dinner - crab, smoked salmon, steak pasties, cheese & onion pasties, sausage rolls, focaccia, walnut bread, salad, mustard mayo, pear frangipane AND sticky toffee apple crumble. I can barely move.

In other news it is my birthday tomorrow, I have made lots of purchases of late about which I want to post, so have decided to wait until early next week so can write about them and my birthday all at the same time. Economical.

In other other news, I'm getting my first tattoo done tomorrow morning. EEK. Putting myself through an hour of pain, on my birthday - what a great idea! I'll post a photo of it - but maybe I'll wait until it's gone through it's scabby phase.                 Or maybe I won't.