Christmas is Coming | Blogmas Day 2

Today was such a Christmassy day, and I loved it! 

After the carol service last night I still had the songs stuck in my head this morning when I woke up, and therefore was listening to Pentantonix's Christmas album on the way to school, as well as singing along as I danced with my dog to "It's the most wonderful time of the year". 

At school we had our annual Christmas Party which is one of my favourite events of the year, and this was my last one. And I was wearing a Christmas Pudding hat on my head, yay! We listened to more Christmas songs, not helping the mass that were already stuck in my head, including the Twelve Days of Christmas - both the original version and the "South African" version, which was rather amusing to say the least. 

Aside from that, my sister and I finished season 1 of The 100 today, which we have been avidly watching since I bought it for her birthday in September, and it ended on a cliffhanger?! Argh. Just why?

But yeah. Tomorrow is my last day of school, seeing as we're going into our 6 week long summer holidays now! So that's exciting, because who doesn't love holidays, right? 

Anyway, see you then!

The Carol Service | Blogmas Day 1

This evening was my final carol service at my school, and it was rather emotional.

I love my singing group very much and enjoy singing with them a lot - especially carols because a) I love Christmas and b) they're so beautiful! The service was also extra special because we sang a carol I composed, and I think it went down well. Except the headteacher called me up to take a bow unexpectedly and I went bright red. Yay for awkward me. 

So yeah, that was that, and I'm very sad it's over. Some of my favourite carols we sang were Once In Royal, O Holy Night and a Choral Amen at the end. And of course my own one, because I mean who doesn't like their own music?

Apart from that... how on earth is it December already? I feel like the second half of this year came and went at the speed of light!

That's all for today - short but sweet because I'm still at school so nothing else of much interest happened today, except lots of rehearsals for this evening. So yeah, see y'all tomorrow then. 

Bye!

Stories of Mugs

Hello. I will begin my addressing the blatantly obvious: yes, I have not posted sunce August, yes, it is now almost December. What happened to September, October and November? I LITERALLY HAVE NO IDEA. They just vanished. Poof. Gone.

Aaaaaaand now back to the matter at hand.

So you may or may not know, but I am an avid tea drinker. And being a tea drinker, naturally one must have a lot of mugs in which to put all the tea. Exhibit A:

But as I listen to the kettle boil and decide which mug I would like to have my tea in today (a very tough decision might I add) it makes me think about where each mug came from, and the story behind it. Take this one for example:

We bought this mug on a family road trip in Memphis, Tennessee about... five years ago, I think. Wow, how time files! I think I was about 12, and I remember it was a really cool holiday because we got to visit Graceland, Elvis Presley's home, as well as the studios where I was lucky enough to be able to play the actual piano he played!

Ironically, these two mugs weren't bought together. In fact, the blue one we got quite a while ago, and I think my mum was actually given it as a present from work? I could be wrong. And the pink one I was given for my birthday in June, and it just happened to match the one we'd already had for over a year!

This is one of my favourite mugs, and was also a birthday present this year. (Is it really that obvious that I love tea? Okay, I guess it is.) I absolutely love playing the piano and I love tea, so why not combine the two and get this wonderful masterpiece?!

But yeah, there's a few little tales from my mugs. Kinda random, but I guess if you want to take something from this then it's that you can always find little spots of happiness in the most unusual places, if you only look.

Tada!

Now just one quick notice before I go. I have decided, after a long hard think (not really) to do Blogmas. Now idk if this is really a thing but you know what, I'm making it a thing because I can and it's a free country. Basically I'm going to be writing a blogpost every day from the 1st of December up until Christmas, like vlogmas but blogging, hence Blogmas. Also kind of inspired by SprinleofGlitr's October diary. I just think it's a nice idea as I can look back in the future and see what I got up to etc. and it's probably not going to be particularly interesting for anyone else but oh well. Will definitely be interesting to see if I can actually get a blogpost up every day for 25 days in a row...

So yeah, that's that! Guess I'll see you on the first of December. Tomorrow. What?

Adios!

August Favourites

Heeeeeey! So as it's the end of August (what even btw) I thought I'd just share some of my favourites from this month with y'all. Idk if this is a blog thing or just a YouTube thing... but I'm doing it anyway because I want to hehe.

Anyway, leggo!

1. The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Steadman

This book was actually one that I had to read for school, but I ended up falling in love with it. Without giving too much away, it's about a Lighthouse Keeper called Tom who lives on a remote island with his wife, Isabel, when a lifeboat with a baby alive and well in it washes onto the shore. And that's all I'm going to say about it except that it's absolutely amazing, full of plot twists which you probably know I love love love in a book, and with a heart-wrenching ending that stays with you for ages. 

2. Robert Frost

This seems pretty random, but I literally love Robert Frost poems so much. My favourites are The Road Not Taken, Fire and Ice, and Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening. I absolutely love the last stanza of the latter, it just really strikes a chord with me for some reason. Here it is:

The woods were lovely, dark and deep,

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep. 

3. Eos 

Okay so these things are pretty popular now, and usually when something is popular I tend to have an immediate dislike for it. I don't even know why, it's pretty bad actually! But anyway, I bought the green one of these in October last year, and I absolutely loved it. I love this flavour—honeysuckle—and I just love how soft it makes your lips feel. Unfortunately I've never found them in South Africa and I don't think they're sold here, and after using mine until it was literally flat and I could see the plastic underneath, I lost it. So I think I may have to buy about twenty when I go to England in a few weeks, just to stock up!

4. Pachelbel's Canon in D

This piece of music has been a favourite of mine for years, but I recently rediscovered it , and of course it's just as beautiful as before. It holds so many memories for me and makes me think of my childhood, and I can't even describe it but I just think it is the most beautiful piece of music ever. I think it's just the simplicity of it... but yeah, to me it's basically perfection and will probably be my favourite piece of music for the rest of my life. If you haven't heard it before, I seriously recommend it!

5. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 

Finally, my crazy obsession with this TV show. IT'S JUST SO GOOD. I actually started watching it back in June but then had a massive gap due to school work (ugh) but now that's died down a bit so I'm back, and I literally just fangirl about it all the time. I adore all things Marvel and am just so obsessed with this show—I only have three more episodes of Season 2 to watch and then Season 3 comes out in September! Eeeeeek someone needs to calm me down. 

But yeah, there you have it! Hope you enjoyed reading about a few of my favourite things (now that song is stuck in my head wonderful) and let me know if you share any of the same favourites—especially number 5 so we can fangirl together hehe. 

And apart from that, I guess I'll see you in September!

Life is a Zip

I've often thought of the path of life as a zip. 

When I think about the future, about all the endless possibilities, my mind just can't fathom the number of things that could happen - and that most won't. I don't know if I believe in fate, if everything ahead of us is set in stone or we choose our own future, but I know that once something happens there's no going back. I imagine the future opening out in front of us, getting wider and wider as the range of possibilities expands as we look further ahead, the very near future having the least amount of possibilities. 

So like a zip, is what I'm getting at. 

And then behind us is our past, tightly knitted together as it stretches out behind us like a cape, preparing us for our future but not quite dictating it. 

When we are very young, even when our life first begins, the possibility of what could happen in our future is almost endless, and the two sides of the zip fan out as wide as they can go. And as we live our lives and create our story, our future starts to come together - until we're lying on our deathbed and there's not much else that can happen except for us to look back at our path of life we have created. 

I quite like this idea, this steady laying out of your own tracks as you live each day. Your choices affect your life, and where it will take you. Your life is in your own hands, and no one else can tell you how to live your life. Sure they can advise you, they can teach you, and sometimes other people's choices affect us, but at the end of the day it's all really down to you. You can decide if you're going to live a half-hearted life, or an incredible one. 

So there are you go, some motivation for the day! Went off topic a little there, but oh well. Hope you enjoyed reading this little snippet of all the crazy things that go on in my mind - and there will probably be more coming soon!

Adios!

Rocky goes on Safari

Hello lovely people!

So I was looking through my camera photos the other day and I came across a whole lot I took when I was on holiday a couple of weeks ago of my little turtle Rocky. Do you remember him? (Click here if not haha). So I thought I'd do a little 'Adventures of Rocky Part Two' thing. Maybe I'll do this every time I go away somewhere. Shall I make this a thing now? Idk.

But anywho, here is The Adventures of Rocky Part Two: Rocky goes on Safari!

Tut tut Rocky...

Hot water bottle before bed because it was absolutely freezing.

 The morning begins with tea, of course.

 Making friends at the lodge...

 Making more friends!

And then my camera died, hooray. But there are a few cute pics at least! Hope you enjoyed this blogpost and stay tuned for another coming shortly! ANOTHER! *smashes teacup on floor*

(If you didn't get that reference that probably made no sense to you haha)

Goodbye!

Ghosts | OYEAS Writing Competition

Hello again friends!

So today I have something a little different for y'all, and that is some creative writing. As you may know I absoultely love writing and do it a lot in my free time (which is sadly diminishing at the moment) so when I saw that Cindy was holding a writing competition, I couldn't resist entering, despite how much work I have at the moment. And you can find her lovely blog riiiight here - it really is one of my favourite blogs out there!

But without further ado, here is my entry for the OYEAS Writing Competition, along with a picture just to set the mood!

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Ghosts

When I open my eyes, everything is tilted to the side. 

It takes me a while to work out that this is because I'm lying on the ground. My brain doesn't seem to be working so well, my thoughts all running in to each other like watercolours on a canvas. And I can't remember anything. Not even my name. 

With great effort, I sit myself up, my head swimming as the world turns the right way up again. Everything around me is unfamiliar: the empty road, abandoned houses and derelict diners, all with a slightly edgy feel about them. Where are all the people? This place is like a ghost town. 

Where the hell am I?

I try to remember something, anything, but I can't. I frown and rub my temples, but nothing comes to my mind. It's quite unsettling, not knowing a single thing about myself, but strangely I don't feel at all panicked. Perhaps just curious. 

Suddenly a bell rings as the door of the diner across the road from me opens, and an old woman walks out. I stand up, smiling — finally someone who can tell me what on earth I'm doing here. But then my smile fades as I get a closer look as she comes towards me. I'm staring at the broad smile on her face, but I'm sure I can still see the door swinging on the diner behind her. And then I realise: her whole body is almost transparent. I can see right through her. 

She stops in front of me and continues to smile. Does she expect me to say something? I think I'm too flabbergasted to speak. 

Finally she says, "Welcome."

I gape at her, but she still just continues to smile at me. 

"My name is Deirdre," she continues. "I'm the mayor of this town."

Finally I manage to find my voice. "Why am I here?"

She smiles. "All in due time... what did you say your name was?"

I stare at her. "I don't know," I say. 

"Not to worry, dear, just pick a new one," Deirdre says cheerfully. I continue to stare at her, mind-boggled. This whole thing is just getting weirder and weirder by the minute. 

"Nina," I decide. I don't really care for the name, it was just the first one that sprung to mind. 

"Very well, Nina," Deirdre says. "Time for you to meet the rest of the town."

She puts her pinkies in her mouth and gives a long, loud whistle, and no sooner than she brings her hand back to her side, more doors start to open all the way down the street, people emerging cautiously, all eyes fixed on me. 

And I can see right through every single one of them. 

"Deirdre..." I mutter as they start to crowd around us. "Why is everyone... see-through?"

Deirdre chuckles. "Yes, I was wondering when you might ask," she says. "We're all ghosts here, Nina. All of us."

I look around at the people around me, about fifty of them, now. And all their faces the same: blank and expressionless as they watch my every move. 

Okay, now I'm panicking. 

"Nina...?" Deirdre reaches an arm out towards me, sensing my distress, and I take an involuntary step back from her eery translucent hands. Everything is just too overwhelming, and my throats constricts as I imagine fifty faces looming towards me, so I do the only thing I can think of. 

I run away. 

No one makes any immediate effort to stop me, so I run into the nearest diner, up the stairs, out a window and onto a roof. And then I'm jumping across the closely packed roofs like 007, and it's only when I find myself on the top of a church that I finally stop to catch my breath, and take in my surroundings. 

Around me, roofs stretch on as far as I can see, all the way to the horizon where they meet a hazy white mist. This town is never ending. There's no where I can go. 

A noise behind me makes me jump out of my skin, and I whip around to find a boy standing on the roof behind me. He looks at me kindly. 

"It's okay, Nina," he says. "You don't need to panic."

I stare at him. "Easy for you to say."

He smiles. "I've been where you are - we all have. Everyone got here the same way."

I frown at him. My mind still feels foggy round the edges, and I can't seem to make sense of what he is saying. I stare at the misty horizon, far far away. 

"I'm Alex, by the way," the boy adds. 

I turn to look at him. "What do you mean, everyone got here the same way?"

Alex stares at me, as if contemplating something, then says, "Everyone in this town woke up here, not knowing who they were before and how they got here. We all know how it feels, Nina, and we're here to help with your transition."

All these words sound like gibberish to my ears, and I repeat them over and over. Transition? Who they were before? 

"I want to go home."

The words slip out of my mouth before I can stop them, and they are received with a sympathetic look from Alex, followed by a small smile. "This is your home now, Nina."

He reaches out his hand, as translucent as Deirdre's, and tentatively I take it. And as I look at our intertwined fingers, I do a double take and my stomach jolts. Because my hand is just as see-through as Alex's.

Suddenly something comes back to me: something Deirdre said to me earlier. And at the same time something inside me clicks, as if the world that was tilted on its axis has fallen back into place, and all the while Deirdre's words seem to ring in my ears. 

We're all ghosts here, Nina. All of us. 

Of course. It all makes sense now. 

I'm a ghost too. 

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So there you have it! Hope you enjoyed that, and let me know if you'd like to see more writing on my blog? Or you can find some of my other works on my wattpad if you so desire :)

But anyway, that's about all I have for you! So I hope you're having a nice day wherever you are, and don't forget to smile wherever you go.

Byeee!