Summer 2017

SUMMER 2017

And so another incredible summer came to a close.

As F. Scott Fitzgerald once said, 'life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall', and I can feel that change everywhere I go. It's racing through the air, tumbling out in the words I speak, blooming within the feelings and emotions in my body, placing a new lens over the way I think. Another chapter begins as one is closed. The future beckons once more.

Last summer, I remember thinking that it was the best one of my life. Surely I couldn't experience anything better. How could it be possible? Last year I made so many treasured memories, went on lots of different adventures, involved in the things that make me happy, and spent time with the people I love. It was an important summer because it shifted something within me, and helped it fall into the right place. I emerged feeling so unbelievably content, confident, positive, happy, loved, grateful, and excited for the future. It changed a lot of things.

So this summer had a lot to live up to. And did it achieve it? By heck it did. Although not as life changing as last summer, it was certainly four months of joy, adventure, love, happiness, friendship and fulfilment. And I'm walking away from it with memories that will last a lifetime. 

Therefore, in honour of this corker of a summer, which physically hurts to say goodbye to (I wish it would last forever), here's a list of some of the things I got up to...

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ADVENTURINGS...

• Visited the Isle of Wight and Portsmouth, and went swimming in the early morning sea, travelled around the island, had late afternoon drinks, drank the best hot chocolates, watched Harry Potter, went bowling, had the best toasties, fell more in love and reminisced from way back when
• Spent the day with my grandparents and we did a spontaneous photoshoot in the garden, sunbathed under the beautiful sun and I introduced my Spanish Nana to 'Despacito'- she told me she understood every word
• A gorgeous afternoon tea at a local farm shop with some of my oldest friends
• Friday night with prosecco, Hagen Daaz and Sex & The City
• Going to Devon and playing badminton on the beach, paddling in the sea, taking a boat across the harbour, fish and chips on the pebbled beach, frisbee on the park, ice cream, tea and cake pitstops on the M5
• Summer job at schuh, working with the best team of people, surrounded by beautiful shoes, and being paid to talk about shoes non stop
• Volunteering for the Stroke Association, and being reminded why I'm doing this degree, and how incredible it feels to do something positive and worthwhile for another person- especially seeing how their confidence and skills grow
• Seeing two of my sister's LAMDA shows and feeling so proud of her!! 
• Watching Wimbledon from the top of One Exchange Shopping centre in the hot July heat
• Discovering the Natural History Museum
• Adventuring through London, all the way from West Ham, and an impromptu coffee date with my old housemate, to meeting my family for a cuppa at McDs. My sis and I then continued out adventures around London in the pouring rain. We ended up in the Lego Shop, The National Portrait Gallery, snuck into a choir rehearsal at St Martin-in-the-Fields church, walked through Seven Dials, had £5 pizza and wandered all around Covent Garden and Bloomsbury. It was magical
• Bank holiday weekend with (almost) all my family. Gorgeous lasagnas, pies, pancakes, fruit, courtesy of my Nan. A trip to Tutbury Castle which made me feel so in touch with my inner child, and so happy, carefree, excited about life. Being able to buy candyfloss for my cousins. Laughing and singing all evening. Sandwiches and tea in the garden, talking until late at night
• Discovered Coventry and Bedworth, and met my boyfriend's family, who all made me feel so welcome
• Walks in the forest in the pouring rain, walks in the countryside in the pouring rain, walks on the back field that overlooks everywhere, and the sunset turning the sky into a rainbow
• Staying with two of my oldest friends in a flat in Seville, and exploring the city, dancing to Spanish music at an outdoor nightclub until 6 in the morning, a beautiful and authentic Spanish meal, afternoon churros, discovering the city, pretending to be bullfighters, laughing so much, listening to the locals advice to wear suncream
• Torremolinos with my parents- all the cats, all the bevs, all the nice food, all the beach days
• Going to my first wedding as a 20-something year old, when it was my friend getting married. It was such a beautiful, creative, simple ceremony, and an honour to be a part of
• Watching Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Stevie Nicks & The Lumineers at Hyde Park on a balmy, pink July evening, and having an incredible celebration of love, music, happiness. And not realising at the time how lucky we were to be seeing Tom Petty's last UK performance
• The best mac n cheese ever, the best halloumi fries ever
• A spontaneous early morning spoons breakfast with my oldest and best friend 
• Taking tequila shots in a 'The Hobbit' drinking game, my friend spontaneously buying a Bongo, wandering around Nottingham, arcade games at the bowling alley, running around the neighbourhood playing frisbee as the rain poured down, late night Singstar till 4 in the morning, ball games in the park, cosy Sunday evening drinks and boardgames
• Hanging out with my sis and her oldest friend, feeling like it was old times all over again
• Lying in Arboretum Park, under the glowing sun
• Dancing the night away at Rock City and bringing out all my best dance moves
• Drinks and food with old school friends, re-connecting and reminiscing after another year of our lives had passed
• Afternoon day trip to Belper, binging on Ru Paul, face masks, going to a trampoline park and a chicken, bacon and cheese panini from spoons
• Visiting my friend in Blackpool and being fed so much delicious homemade food, watching the Age of Adaline, having cava and foot massages, daytripping to Lytham St Anne's where we had coffee and cake, explored all the shops, swung on the swings in the park and raced up the sand dunes in the late afternoon sun. We had a long walk around Stanley Park and almost got blown away on Blackpool Sea front. It was perfect.
• Another year volunteering in at a kids camp in the middle of Derbyshire. Despite the pouring rain every single day, and the difficult behaviour, it was so fulfilling to give those kids an amazing holiday filled with adventure, sports, arts, friendship and lots and lots of delicious food
• Spontaneous family trip to Ashbourne
• Bingewatching This Morning, Lord of The Rings, Planet of The Apes, Stranger Things, Riverdale, Gilmore Girls
• Having the best daytrip to Leicester, involving Pizza Hut buffet lunch, wandering up to Victoria Park and popping into the museum along the way, shopping, exploring the city, walking down canals all the way to Abbey Park, feeding ducks in the late afternoon rain, apple pie and tea at McDonalds, taking curvey photos outside The Curve
• Having my first unicorn hot chocolate with an old friend, playing in the park like we were children all over again, and drinking G&T's & cucumber on the rooftop of the local pub
• Cafe date with my sis, talking about everything you could imagine in the world, as always
• Learning how to make loads of incredible food, including carbonara, toffee apple crumble, chocolate cookies, brownie, carrot cake, chicken noodle soup
• New glasses which make everyone remark how intelligent I look
• The silly little things, like being able to wake up and say hello to my family, spend the day with them, and see some of my old friends, just like it used to be. Oh and not having to cook dinner for myself all summer.
• GETTING SUNBURNT DURING 7 CONSECUTIVE DAYS OF HEAVY RAIN