on another note...

...probably the best pyjamas in Cambridge. It's time I showcased them.

to the river

This badboy tasted as good as it looks. Andy came to visit this weekend and after going out for a curry and some hardcore boozin' (hmm..) on Saturday night we spent our hangover watching Bake Off and going for another afternoon tea at the Orchard (that place makes a small fortune off us). It was perfect, for a bit, until I decided to have a go at baking macaroons having been inspired by Mary Berry that morning. Turns out not having an electric whisk and using the wrong sugar will not produce macaroons, but a gooey mixture that gets poured down the sink and an enormous strop. (Sorry Andy :P). 

p.s. I started writing my dissertation yesterday. It's terrifying.

my luve is like a red red rose

Happy Rabbie Burns' Day!!! This is as Scottish as I'm getting today, another one of those pretty 21st presents I got over the summer. It's difficult to feel Scottish when you're at the other end of the country and so in an attempt to connect with my roots here's my favourite Burns poem. In my dissertation research I've been labouring over translating and analysing ancient dog epitaphs, and so this one tickles me a little bit:

Epitaph on a lap-dog named Echo

In wood and wild, ye warbling throng, 
Your heavy loss deplore; 
Now, half extinct your powers of song, 
Sweet Echo is no more. 

Ye jarring, screeching things around, 
Scream your discordant joys; 
Now, half your din of tuneless sound 
With Echo silent lies.

I also found a clip of My Luve is like a Red Red Rose read by Prince Charles here. What more could you want?

this weather's going snowhere

One of those "I can't believe I go to uni here" moments.

So I got out in the snow because I felt I had to officially participate while it's here. Those gloves are a miracle - my Auntie Dan got them for me for Xmas and they're iphone/camera/driving-proof while still being really shmancy. Girton is a pretty good-looking college in the snow I must admit, I do feel lucky to be here. At the bottom those are geeky shots of my new moleskine planner in RED (it comes with stickers to remind you of really strange things like bad weather and shopping trips) and my new Assam loose leaf. I'm a convert - loose leaf is the only way. Ben Miller - the title is dedicated to you, I spent ages on that.

snow fun for me today (get it?!?!)

The snow came! And on cue my body has caught the lurgy and I've just spent the past 3 hours nesting in bed with soup & soldiers (yeah, at 21 I still cut my toast into soldiers), slipper socks, beechams and the dark recesses of BBC iplayer. I felt it coming on this morning and stuffed myself with berocca and fruit and porridge in a vain attempt to avoid becoming sick 2 days before the start of term but here we are. The photos aren't great - I'm not the biggest fan of the snow (miserable I know) and so a trip out for some more practice was definitely not on the agenda, and through-the-window shots sufficed. If you'll excuse me I'm heading back to my nest...

things i've convinced myself i need

There's nothing too interesting going on at the moment so posts are inevitably centring around non-adventures in my room, as that's where I'm sat working / pretending to work all day. With the Christmas money I got from family I've been carefully choosing potential purchases and savouring the online window shopping for things I potentially could afford. I've convinced myself I need these things at the moment. However the only ones I could realistically afford are the dress & shoes, would you believe it. The necklace is extortionate and I'm trying to find a lookalike that is as beautiful but so far I've not had much luck. I'll explain the antlers obsession later...

teapot

Back at uni...was dreading leaving home and friends so much...and my fridge friends - the posh milk, nice chutneys, never-ending supply of interesting yoghurts...I'm not going to think about it anymore, it's making me despise my measly supply of breakfast biscuits in my college cupboard. I christened the loose-leaf teapot my Mum gave me for Christmas, it's a very popular acquisition in the Megan room which now looks like a trinket shop. Speaking of acquisitions, finally lifted my mermaid mirror to the place it deserved on the mantelpiece, I think I like it there, it can live there til June. (What am I going to do with this thing when I leave?!) p.s. please excuse how filthy it is.

2kb

Grandma Susan & Nikki - New Year's Day lunch 

Happy New Year everyone!!! Everyone around me seems to have been saying that 2012 was the worst year they've had and they can't wait for a fresh start. If you need that fresh start I hope you've had it in these first few days, but personally I had a great 2012 and I'm sad to see it go. I've lived and worked in London for a summer, seen my whole family get together in one place for a party, started my finals course (my favourite yet) and turned 21. In fact this blog was started because so much was going on in my life which I wanted to share with family. May your new year's resolutions last longer than 25 days...(apparently the average for resolutions in the UK - shocking).

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