29 year old graduate

This week, I graduate! Four years of university and six years of study behind me - my whole career ahead of me. I'm not certain how I feel right now nervous, excited, nostalgic but I have to say it's all rather unnerving. 

I know I'm 29 (much older than most graduates) and should be ready for full time work and in most ways I am. I'm ready for routine, a stimulating, exciting career and I'm definitely ready for a full time wage - but the idea of life post uni is daunting. Going from student to employee is a big life change, there's a whole lot of responsibility on my shoulders and university life hasn't really prepared me for this. Note to professors - prepare students for adult life, maybe adulting could become a new module? 

I worked hard for my degree and will be graduating with a 2:1. This is something I'm proud of but on the other hand I' am somewhat disappointed I'm not finishing with a 1st. I know that its ridiculous to feel a little disheartened as when I think about it an upper 2nd class degree is pretty bloody great. Why do we always put so much pressure on ourselves? Why do we constantly compare ourselves to others? Why does others successes impact our own? These have been some of the questions that have been swirling round my head over the last few weeks.

The last 6 months of my life have been tough probably the toughest of my entire life and I'm happy I managed to graduate at all. 

My beautiful mother died of Cancer in January and my world fell apart. In that time my degree felt pointless and small, how could a degree mean anything anymore if my Mum was no longer in my life. Somehow I managed to carry on, this was mainly done for my Mum, she was very proud of my study and letting her down was something I could never do. My future life also needed my degree. Yes, rent, food and bills don't come for free. 

By my last assignment I really had lost enthusiasm and this is what ultimately let my grade down. Writing a 6000 word project, whilst searching for a job is not an easy task.

On my last day in university I felt incredibly sad and nostalgic. I really have loved my time at university and I will remember it fondly. University has changed me, mostly for the best. I've learnt a lot about who I am and what I want from life and most of all how much I love to study, research and write. I love it mainly for turning my dream (yes, it's a little cringe but the thesaurus offered no alternative) into a reality. I'm sure I've got a long way to go in my career but I think I'm ready for the journey, ups and downs and all.

Something that always made me doubt returning to study was the thought of leaving university without a job. I knew I would be nearly thirty years of age and needed to start my career ASAP! This thought has constantly driven me throughout the last few years and I'm happy to know I am graduating with a job I wanted and love. I understand it's not always that easy; the job market is competitive and gaining industry experience is what possibly sealed my current role. 

My advice to anyone who is thinking about going to university or returning to study - without a doubt you have to go for it, no matter what age or stage of your life you are at you should seek the career or job you love. I know there's barriers that can get in the way, family commitments or money but we spend the majority of our adult lives at work and if you're not enjoying what you're doing, it makes those Sunday night blues even worse. Plus this year I've learnt that life's too short to not make yourself happy.

Ph Credit - The Red List 

Weekend Inspiration #14

If there's something that is definitely needed come the weekend its a break from our daily routines and sometimes a break from life in general. That's why in late January I headed to Stow House in the beautiful yet very cold Aysgarth in the Yorkshire Dales. Aysgarth is small but sweet, the waterfalls were stunning and a sunny yet cold and crisp day created the perfect backdrop.

Stow house was incredibly beautiful, an interior design dream. The decor has been well thought out 

by the owners Sarah and Phil and features a brilliant mix of classic and nostalgic, with added quirky details (the badger on the wall in the top floor bedroom to be exact).

My favourite room of the house, the lounge bar, was truly beautiful. A vintage bar complete with your favourite alcoholic beverages, coffee table books, log burning stove and gorgeous pink and navy blue sofa's adorned with printed birds. We stayed in the Badger room on the top floor of the house which gave us beautiful views of the Yorkshire Dales and the bedroom like the rest of the hotel was beautifully decorated. 

After a delicious home cooked English breakfast in the dinning room we headed home. I very much can't wait for my next free weekend so I can head back to Asygarth and the beautiful Stow House.

Four years later

This month marks 4 years of writing this blog and over the years, I've questioned many times why I'm writing it. Do people enjoy reading it? Are my topics relevant? Is it original? The latter being the most prominent.

At times I thought maybe I shouldn't bother anymore, but something (plus my very supportive boyfriend) has kept me writing.

There's so many blogs out there and its tough finding your niche. My aim has always been to try and create something a little different.

Over the years I’ve pondered the idea of trying to make money out of my blog with advertisements and promotion of products. I have been approached by a selection of brands, many I didn't care for so I opted out and to be honest I'm glad I did, there's nothing more irritating than getting half way through someone's post only to realise it's completely biased towards the company that is giving them free stuff. I didn't start a blog purely for it to be used as a tool to hawk other people’s crap - each to their own but to me, that cheapens content and falsifies opinion. Promoting freebies probably gets you more blog traffic and that's fine as long as products are being promoted with an honest opinion and readers know they are reading sponsored content.

Originally my blog was a place to document my ramblings about fashion. But more recently It's become a place to write about issues and topics that inspire me, whether that be about fashion, style, pop culture or something more serious.

In life we constantly compare ourselves to others mainly through life achievements and ownership but online there is so much more to compare your work to. Is my writing Honest? Interesting? Or is it a carbon copy of what someone else has written?

With so many other blogs out there i guess it's only natural to compare. I don't get the views and comments I'd like but I try and write about something different and maybe in the near future my ratings may improve. But to be truthful I've never wanted to become that typical blogger mainly because I don't fit to that stereotype. I'm a little older (29 to be exact) and I don't have the typical blogger look. I don't have a fortune to spend on luxurious holidays, I'm not super slim or have pristine make up and most of the time I look less than perfect but I've always wanted my blog to reflect reality. I'm a student, I can't afford to purchase new, on-trend clothes every week to discuss but I do continually think about what's new, interesting and inspiring to my readers.

I love to write and that's what will hopefully support this blog to make it to its fifth year. I'm not going to say everything I write interests everyone because it doesn't. The beauty of individuality is that we all have different opinions and interests. If just one post inspires you in a small way, then I feel I've done what I set out to do. 

Ph Credit Still, That Kind of Women on Bloglovin via Pinterest, edited using A Beautiful Mess app

Has reading a book become a lost art??

I love to read - so much so that a man who sees me regularly whilst waiting for my bus home from work commented "You're always reading a book". Random comment, but it really reminded me of how much I love reading. In today's fast paced online world, the joy of reading a (physical) book seems to have been lost. We all read on a regular basis but this tends to be tweets, Facebook posts and comments, daily mail articles or magazines, I'm sure we're all guilty of one the above, right? 

Somewhere along the way we've forgotten to read books. Whilst on my daily travels it is rare to see a fellow commuter reading a book. Looking at their phones yes, but no book! When was the last time you actually sat and read a book? 

Reading has continually been part of my life but more recent in the last year. Since January I've read about 15 books and I have to admit it was a struggle at first. It felt as though I was learning how to read all over again. Focusing on the story and not getting lost in other thoughts was difficult. Learning to follow the story line and think about what might happen next and understanding the characters all seemed new to me. Finding a book that has meaning, that leaves you feeling something is always my main aim. This is a challenge within it's self as it's often difficult to find an exciting and interesting book that's keeps you wanting to turn the page. Great writers can detail something so clearly that you can be transported there in a moment. 

Books can be life changing, they teach us things about ourselves and others that no other medium can. Reading is one of the things that keeps me mentally sane and stops me from worrying about life. 

It fills my boring bus journeys and Saturday afternoons in front of the fire when it's freezing. They are a way to escape our sometimes mundane lives, because let's be honest life's not always fun. Whilst my heads in a book I can forget about the stresses and imagine myself in that world. I also think I might single handedly be able to keep my local library in business (despite government cut backs.)

If you're a book lover or newbie novel reader here's some of my favourites  - 

Savages by Shirley Conran 

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion 

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte 

The Girl on the Train - Paula Hawkins

The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton

The Lesser Bohemians by Eimear McBride

Ph credit teachingliteracy.tumblr.com via Pinterest

On Instagram

Summer has finally arrived! YAY!
So far I've enjoyed camping, cocktails and trips to both the coast and country. I've also discovered Boomerang, but if you follow on Instagram you'll already know that.

HAPPY SUMMER (and Sunday)!

Weekend Inspiration #12

CATCH

A couple of weekends ago the boyfriend and I ventured to our new local seafood restaurant- Catch. Located in the small village of West Vale, Halifax. I'd researched the menu prior to this visit and was pretty amendment I wanted the Oysters. 
We are pretty lucky actually as its only a 15 minute walk from home which meant we could indulge in both Oysters and wine. I have to say the oysters did not disappoint! I've had oysters at home before but apparently they 'are much more enjoyable when you don't have to prepare them yourself' quoted the boyfriend.
We opted for Cod and Chips for our main, which again was great. There's no photo due to devouring this as soon as my plate hit the table but trust me it looked as good as it tasted. The menu has a great variety of seafood take a peak here. Overall great food in a relaxed, modern and inviting setting.
Catch, we will definitely be back soon for more Oysters and wine - hopefully in the sun and in the lovely courtyard. 

What I learned at a Feminism lecture

Last Friday my sister and I headed to the opening night of the 2016 Bradford Literature Festival. ‘How to be a feminist?’ was the title of the lecture. The guest panel included Mona Eltahawy, Lennie Gooding’s, Sunny Hundal and Ralph Darted. 

I have to say I’ve never really heard of any of these people before but they all brought different opinions on the subject and discussed feminism from different viewpoints.

I’ve always quietly believed in what feminism stands for – equality, integration and an understanding of women’s rights. Friday’s lecture honed in on the phrase ‘Equality and Liberation of Women’. It discussed women from different cultures, religions, countries and cities and how their lives are effected in different ways by feminism.  The topic of the Internet and social media was debated at length. How it gives young individuals the opportunity to discuss feminism and meet like-minded individuals who want to learn about and contribute to one of the key gender political issues of our time. The panel touched on interesting, humorous and serious topics and taught me how feminism is addressed around the world – through both speech and word. 

Publisher Lennie Gooding’s has enriched my reading list with books about feminism and others by interesting and talented females. Columnist and international speaker Mona Eltahawy spoke her mind about religious feminist issues from around the globe. I loved how both men and women could easily analyze a subject that is sometimes hard to discuss, without fear or judgement. 

The lecture ended with audience questions, an interesting one was ‘does class and social background have an influence on your understanding of feminism?’ I often agree that different social classes are more likely to understand the meaning of feminism, due to educational advantages. However I do think that this doesn’t mean you can’t learn about feminism independently - by using sources such as the Internet, books and social media you can gain an understanding of this subject and contribute however you like no matter what social background.

Friday night’s lecture was interesting and insightful and left me wanting to learn more about a very modern and powerful topic.