23.4.11 Sunbathing & homemade cocktails...

Went over to Vicki's today and we had lunch and then sunbathed in her garden drinking her own special vodka and raspberry cocktails. Was a lovely day catching up :)

"Only a true friend would be that truly honest."

~ Shrek

22.4.11 Tonic, champagne and a hot tub...

Went to the manor with, Vicki, Nicky, Jon, Michael and Ry and managed to drink them dry of tonic water :p. Was a lovely evening with some old faces and gossip. We ended up bumping into Nat as well so we went back to his and drank some champagne in his hot tub. Always a winner :).

"Her mind is definitely twisted, she's got a Mercedes Benz, she's got a lot of pretty, pretty boys, that she calls friends"

21.4.11 Happy Birthday Ryan...

Ry's birthday so he came over and we ended up taking a drunken trip to the manor where I bumped into a bunch of old friends. This does seem to happen EVERY time I go to the manor... Bracknell is apparently a pretty small place. This picture was taken as we were attempting to climb up the grass verge by the subway (and largely failing). It more or less sums up the entire evening.

“They say, and by ‘they’ I mean my therapist, ‘you attract people who mirror where you’re at in your life’. In some way, the people you meet are reflecting you….. somehow”

20.4.11 MRI Day...

Today I FINALLY got my MRI scan for my shins. I was strapped into the machine for 45 minutes while the nurse played Rebecca Black and Jedward at me through headphones in an attempt to make me feel more "relaxed". Not good. It wasn't too bad overall though and I think I even managed to fall asleep

“Such rage that you could scream the stars right out of the sky”

19.4.11 Quick trip back to Pompey...

Today Mum drove me down to Gosport for a job interview and then we had a walk along the beach and spotted a bunch of glider planes being towed around over the sea. It's so beautiful down there when the sun's out. In the evening me and Josh went out for a lovely Zizzi's and drinks at the gighouse and spent a lot of time talking about ways to get rich quick before our travels :p

“We’re out of control, full of dreams that nobody knows”

18.4.11 Until my legs give out from underneath me...

Managed to go for a run today. I'm trying to mess up my shins as much as possible before my scan on Wednesday to make sure I finally get put on the waiting list for the operation to fix them. Was a lovely day which helped. I can't wait til I'm back in Italy running by the lake though. Everything will be different then.

You’d know how the time flies.
Only yesterday was the time of our lives.
We were born and raised in a summer haze.
Bound by the surprise of our glory days.

Nevermind, I’ll find someone like you.
I wish nothing but the best for you too.
Don’t forget me, I beg,

I remember you said:
“Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead”

Nothing compares, no worries or cares.
Regret’s and mistakes they’re memories made.
Who would have known how bittersweet this would taste?

I hate to turn up out of the blue uninvited,
But I couldn’t stay away, I couldn’t fight it.
I hoped you’d see my face & that you’d be reminded,
That for me...

it isn’t over yet

17.4.11 Birthday lunch with sunshine and old faces... ♥

This afternoon we all went for lunch at Silvermere golf club as part of Poppie's 80th celebrations. It was a really nice afternoon with the whole family together - first time we've all been in the same room since Christmas 2006. Here he is with Gemma, Sian, Harry, Chiara, Carla and Michaela

“There comes a time in everyone's life, when you know,

and everyone around you knows,

that everything is changed,

you're not the same,

it's a new day”

16.4.11 Happy 80th birthday Poppie ♥

Next week my grandad turns 80 so this weekend all my family and his old friends got together. Today we had "afternoon tea" at the Hilton where we gave him cake and presents. He was so surprised to see everyone and it was a really nice afternoon. Here he is with Gemma and Sian, opening mine and Chiara's present

Then in the evening I went out to Southill Park for wine and candyfloss :)

"At this moment there are 6470818671 people in the world. 

Some are running scared, some are coming home, 

some tell lies to make it through the day, 

others are just not facing the truth, 

some are evil men at war with good, 

and some are good struggling with evil, 

Six billion people in the world, 

six billion souls, 

and sometimes... 

all you need is one"

15.4.11There's more to life than hair... but it's a good place to start

Getting my roots touched up and looking glamorous in foils :p

“Look at you.

You’re young. And you’re scared.

Why are you so scared?

Stop being paralyzed. Stop swallowing your words.

Stop caring what other people think.

Wear what you want.

Say what you want.

Listen to the music you want to listen to.

Play it loud as fuck and dance to it.

Go out for a drive at midnight and forget that you have school the next day.

Stop waiting for Friday.

Live now.

Do it now.

Take risks. Tell secrets.

This life is yours.

When are you going to realize that you can do whatever you want?”

14.4.11 Why can't we make this darkess feel like home...

Pretty dull today really. Should have been getting on with some work but got distracted by applying for every job vacancy in Hampshire (and a couple in Essex...!) Went out to the gym with Mum and Leslie... came home... went to bed. It's a Rock 'n' Roll life I lead. This is the nighttime view out of my window. It's a pretty good assessment of everything at the moment.

"Does this darkness have a name?

This cruelty, this hatred. How did it find me?

Did it steal into my life or did I seek it out and embrace it?

What happened to me? When did I lose my way?

Consumed by the shadows, swallowed whole by the darkness.

Does this darkness have a name?

Is it your name?"

13.4.11 Sometimes I tie a hair to a piece of lint and I drag it around...

Went to the pub last night to meet Josh and Ryan which was awesome and I finally got the Marcel mug Ry made me. Today I had hot chocolate in it and suddenly the world seems like a better place :p

“Some people say that my head is too big for my body, and I say... Compared to what?!”

~Marcel the shell with shoes on

12.4.11 Butterflies in her eyes...

Went for a nice walk in the countryside with mum and nannie and spotted some butterflies

“Just like the butterfly, I too will awaken in my own time.”
~Deborah Chaskin

11.4.11 Home sweet home...

Well it's nice to be home. Bit of peace and tranquillity for a few weeks after all the madness of recently. I think it's just what I need.

“Regrets and mistakes, they're memories made, who would have known how bittersweet this would taste?”

10.4.11 Last day of work...

After almost not making it to my last shift at work before easter (when I got to the ferry and realised that I'd left my wallet at home!) I had a nice shift and got the night ferry home. Portsmouth is really very pretty on a warm evening. Nevertheless, I can't deny I'm relieved that it's nearly time to leave this place behind

“One last tender lie and then im outta this place”

9.4.11 Shrimp on the barbie...

Another GORGEOUS day in Portsmouth. Shame I was working for most of it. Still I got to sit out in the garden and watch Dave trying to light the bbq which was pretty amusing :P

"Here's to the crazy ones.

The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers.

The round pegs in the square holes.

The ones who see things differently.

They're not fond of rules.

And they have no respect for the status quo.

You can praise them, disagree with them, quote them, disbelieve them, glorify or vilify them.

About the only thing you can't do is ignore them.

Because they change things.

They invent. They imagine. They heal. They explore. They create. They inspire.

They push the human race forward.

Maybe they have to be crazy.

How else can you stare at an empty canvas and see a work of art?

Or sit in silence and hear a song that’s never been written?

Or gaze at a red planet and see a laboratory on wheels?

While some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius.

Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the

world...

...are the ones who do."

8.4.11 The morning after...

So at about 5am this morning I walked home from Rishi's (without my shoes!), and went to bed. Woke up this morning to find an unconscious Chris in my bed. He must have wandered in and passed out but it scared the life out of me when I first woke up! Anyway I couldn't get him up until about 4pm when he started packing and getting ready to go back to Wales for Easter. Here's him and Mo in their default positions on Chris's bed. Gonna be weird being without my boys for 3 weeks... they drive me insane but I miss them when they aren't around. Also got a message today from Yana which was certainly a blast from the past. It's all going so fast.

“I thought I saw your eyes tonight...

laced in smoke & cigarette curls…

but I'm seeing ghosts tonight”

7.4.11 Dissertation deadline day...

So after staying up until the early hours proof-reading Chris's dissertation (and him having no sleep at all!) we went rushing into uni to try and get it printed and bound before 4pm. Afterwards it only seemed fair to go and celebrate in the sunshine with a drink at the Fat Fox where we ended up bumping into... pretty much everyone. That night we all went to Liquid for the last thursday of the term. Absolutely amazing night and amazing way to end the term.

“Step into a world, where the city never sleeps”

6.4.11 Blossom...

That's more like it :) Beautiful sunshine all day and a Portsmouth alive with flowers. These are the things that make me happy

“This was my dream, nothing has changed”

5.4.11 A view on a rainy day...

So my first day diss free and I end up at work sitting in the wind and rain at Portsdown Hill. Not quite what I had in mind!! Still the view is pretty cool from up there. If you look in the picture you can see the lipstick building and if you look reeeeeeeeally closely, the Spinnaker Tower!

“And when the cold wind starts to sing a lonesome lullaby,

It helps to think we’re sleeping underneath the same big sky...”

4.4.11 Freedom...

So I met with my supervisor today aaaaaaand... dissertation is FINISHED!! Best feeling in the world. Maybe now I can have my life back (until revision starts next week!!) On the way home I saw this parked on our road and it reminded me of Betty and Australia. Those were the days. Thinking about being back there soon is the only thing keeping me going.

“Life is waiting for you, it’s all messed up but we'll survive”

3.4.11 Cabin fever...

GOING CRAZY! It feels like I haven't been outside in daaaaaaaaaaays. I had no sleep at all last night either so I'm feeling a bit manic. This has to get finished today. I miss the world!!

“You haven't seen the world outside for days,

you sleep,

you hope,

you wait,

and all the dreams you have you save”

2.4.11 Light at the end of the tunnel...

Soooooo close!! After working hard all day I thought I'd treat myself to a cosy candlelit evening.

“Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it’s wrong.

No matter how fast light travels,

it finds the darkness has always got there first and is waiting for it”

1.4.11 Pinch and a punch for the first of the month...

Spent aaaaaaaaaaall day cooped up in my room writing this stupid dissertation. God I'll be glad when it's over. On the plus side I avoided any April Fools :p.

“I know you feel like the walls are closing in on you”