Home Sweet Home.

I'm sitting in the living room, eating Lucky Charms and watching old Waterloo Road episodes. I've been home for three and a bit days now and it's lovely :)

So far I've slept in, watched a lot of television, tidied my room, uncovered my Canon camera and a treasure trove of Christmas chocolate, celebrated Earth Hour with candles and copious amounts of Boggle, met up with friends in Wetherspoons for chatting and scheming, been to Bodnant Gardens for a belated Mother's Day treat, baked cakes for my doggie, had a long, hot bath and run around on the beach with Harry and Cleo. ♥ Also found a book on a bench, which had the words "DO NOT TOUCH or you will DIE" written across the front. Oh, Colwyn Bay. How I have missed you. Plans for the week ahead include a summer job interview, several cinema trips, rendezvousing at Vicki's house, shopping/boating/deep-fried Mars Bars-ing in Chester, pub quiz, Singstar, silent discos and a drive to the airport, und so weiter.

Done & Done.

Well, almost.
I am pushing the words exams and essays to the very back of my mind for the time being.

Today I had my last classes of the year. Give or take a couple of optional revision sessions I have no more lectures or seminars until September. It's madness. Last day celebrations consisted of pass-the-parcel food style, frü carrot cakes and party rings ♥ and cava and lazy poetry discussion on the back lawn.
Tomorrow I plan to leave New Cross for the first time in over a week (it's shocking, I know). I might go to the cinema in the afternoon, as my unlimited card has been rather neglected of late and I need to print out some photographs and buy one or two things in Central as well. In the evening I am going to my first ever Club Sandwich. Last Wednesday of term = not the wisest of choices, but they say you haven't been to Goldsmiths if you haven't been to 'Sandwich'. Maybe.

Hungry Caterpillars.

I've had such an unproductive weekend that there hardly seems any reason in documenting it. However, I know from experience that I am wont to fall out of a routine if I don't keep on top of it, so I shall make note of a few main 'highlights' at least:

+ Sunny sunny weather ☀ (Somewhat ruined by the big pile of end-of-term work, but the sun's the sun in Britain)
+ Laundry (hardly the height of excitement, but it was a job worth doing and another thing to cross from my neglected to-do list)
+ Old photographs and nostalgia (I wrote four whole pages of Jess and Charlotte memories, just for the fun of it.)
+ A veritable feast of iPlayer
+ Letters to Hannah and Vicki at last
+ The Hungry Caterpillar Google on Friday ♥

So, as you can see, a very exciting time was had by all.
In other news, I am ready to go home now. I am fed up of Thomas Hardy and microwave pizza and my own demotivating nature. And I have a cold.



:)

Bake Off.

Alas, the 'Bake Off' was not to be.
We met outside the main building at 3 o'clock, following a morning full of outfit panic and several premature messages of 'watch the One Show tomorrow'. There was a large number of girls assembled - perhaps eighteen in total - and we formed quite a formidable group as we 'marched' up to the Students' Union offices in order to pay our £1 subscription fee. Afterwards we sat on the grass and enjoyed the sunshine, as we waited for the baking to begin. Unfortunately, however, the college had only assigned the film crew with a small Loring Hall kitchen and as a result, we had to narrow the eighteen or so hopefuls down to six. I was not a lucky baker.
Instead, I went back to my room, watched an interesting documentary called Boys and Girls Alone, went to Iceland (first real food shop in weeks), attempted to make a move on my Approaches essay, despite the beginnings of a nasty sore throat and eventually went to bed.

Today, as I continue my essay-writing, the sun insists on shining brighter than ever. Indeed, I'm somewhat reluctant to finish, as we all know that the lovely weather will disappear the moment my workload diminishes.

+
Watch: The One Show, BBC1, Tonight, 7pm.
Listen to: Woman's Hour, first topic.
& Read: click.

Little Miss Sunshine.

♥ A nice pretty picture for you - although it isn't from the Times and I have been cruelly cut from the frame by a fraction of a centimetre. In fact, that is my cake floating mysteriously at the right-hand side of the image. Pffft.

Oh and this.

Today (♣), there was a pointless course monitoring session in the afternoon, which ate up my lunch-hour and a lot of sunshine, which saw the student population of Goldsmiths dancing around the College Green in summer dresses and sunglasses. We sat outside during our Poetry seminar, which was very pleasant until the sun disappeared behind the lecture theatre and the weather took a turn towards chilly.
Now I am watching Waterloo Road and Comic Relief, and wondering whether or not I should make a start on the essay-front. First though. What does one wear to a bake off? ♥

Granny 'Smiths.

Okay okay. We might not be Granny 'Smiths in reality, but the name will live on, in my head at least.

This evening a group of W.I. ladies came to Goldsmiths in order to investigate our group and initiate us in the ways of 'Jam and Jerusalem'. They talked us through the history of the W.I., the various levels of the institute and the requirements of joining and maintaining a successful organisation. There were thirty or so girls there in total and we had to agree upon committee members, a president (India, our 'founder' was the obvious, unanimous choice) and a name for the group before we were officially formed. Ultimately, Goldsmiths W.I. was the decided title, although I still maintain the brilliance of 'Granny 'Smiths'. (Ah well. As I said - in my head.) In the meantime, a newspaper photographer was circling the room, wielding a gigantic camera and snapping away at every opportunity. When the official proceedings were concluded he photographed us reaching for the large plate of homemade cupcakes in the centre of the table. I shall be checking the Times tomorrow and will partake in some scanning/uploading if the picture is suitably pretty.

After the photo-man had left and we were in the process of consuming the tasty cakes, there was a slight incident. Several members of the Feminist Society expressed annoyance over an article that appeared in the Evening Standard on Friday. There was a bit of back and forth debate and some under-the-breath mumbling, but eventually we reached a 'ceremonious agreement' and were left to our W.I. questionnaires and our plans.

♥

Oh, and exciting stuff. We're off to the BBC Television Studios on Wednesday to film a 'Bake Off' for an episode of the One Show to be aired on Thursday. I'm going to be faaaaamous.

Camden, Etc.

On Friday I took the tube to Euston, where I met up with my brother, Josh. Back in New Cross we paid Sainsbury's a visit and there we bought pizza, Ben & Jerry's ice-cream, Doritos, Coke, Jaffa Cakes, Pain au Chocolat, Orange Juice and Red Noses. Then we went back to my room, where we set about eating said culinary delights and watching Series 2 of the IT Crowd (Moss♥) before bed.

On Saturday we had a slight lie-in and pain au chocolat for breakfast, before making our way across London. First we went to Camden Town, where Josh soon fell in love with the busy markets, quirky bargains and over-sized sunglasses. We wandered the stalls for many an hour, without purchase, before heading on to Leicester Square, McDonalds and Forbidden Planet (aka. comic book heaven). (NB: Found Magazine). Here, we bought a badge a piece - David Bowie for Josh, Domo for me. Afterwards we went to Fopp (£3 DVDs and cheap books. Again with the NB: Everything is Illuminated & I for India), the big, fat Topshop and HMV, where Josh bought two CDs for £10. Finally, we went to the Hard Rock Cafe, in aid of Josh's worldwide pursuit. There was a fifty minute wait, but it was worth it. + I actually finished my burger for once. Hurray!

Today we went back to Camden in order to spend some money. (I think Josh would move there if the opportunity arose). We wandered the markets for a while, then I bought a necklace (NB the third: Lobe) and Josh a David Bowie t-shirt. We also had 'Tropical Sunrise' juice (yum yum) and I bought a felt brooch for Suzi's birthday. At three we set off for New Cross, only to discover that Camden tube station shuts between one and five thirty on a Sunday, in order to avoid overcrowding. Therefore, we had to walk (a good twelve minutes if the sign is anything to go by) to nearby Kentish Town. In New Cross we finished off our snacks then set off once more, this time for Euston. Unfortunately, we missed Josh's train by all of half a minute, but it was nice spending an unexpected additional hour together. We bought orange juice, sausage rolls and chips and sat around talking and writing our Mothers' Day card until the next train arrived.

P.S. Josh absolutely and completely earned his stay, by inadvertently fixing my Internet problems on his first night. Yay♥.

Wichtig Von Handlanger.

I'm in Oxford.

I arrived on Tuesday evening, armed with an over-large suitcase and a shoulder bag and trundled through the streets towards Mansfield. Charlotte was in the theatre until ten so I went for a walk in the direction of Keble and the National History Museum, in the hope of finding the appropriate college. Ultimately unsuccessful however, I wandered back and spoke to Harry on the telephone while I waited. Around ten thirty an anxious Charlotte appeared, but I was there and all was well, so we went inside.

In the morning I went to my auntie's house while Charlotte was in her lectures and did some editorial work. We had lunch and then I went back to Mansfield. Charlotte and David were busy doing some Mathsy work, so I organised the folders on my laptop and played with the magical narrator function. At 5:30ish Charlotte dropped me off at Keble and went to prepare for her play. David and I walked into Oxford and ate dinner at O'Neills. Apparently I wasn't very hungry, as I only ate the chips (of which there were about eight in total) and one or two bites of my burger. At half seven we went to Wadham where we watched the OULES productions of Robin Hood/ Indiana Jones. Charlotte was Alfonso the Great and a suspect German. As ever I was pleasantly entertained. David on the other hand, was knee-raped by an over-keen German officer. Later, back at Mansfield, Charlotte and I watched the Studio Ghibli film, Grave of the Fireflies (;_;) and then went to bed unnecessarily late.

In the morning I went to my auntie's house again and completed another few hours of work. As well as my generous wages I also acquired a Travel Scrabble set and a selection of old books, as my auntie was clearing out her storage boxes. I went back to Mansfield for a smidge before heading in the Keble direction once again. This time, David and I (plus 'James' from St Catz.) went to the Guest Night in the (would have been Harry Potter) Great Hall. It was my first formal dinner experience and I was a little worried that I would look utterly common in comparison with the Oxford lot/ the food would be inedible, but in reality nobody paid much attention to anybody else and the meal was delicious. We had a strange pear dish to start, followed by chicken stuffed with cheese and creme brulee for pudding.

I am now in David's room, waiting for Charlotte to materialise and watching amusing videos on YouTube. I love Oxford visits.

OXFORD ♥

Update.

I am very much behind in my blog writing, as a result of a faulty Internet connection. Luckily, I've had much to divert me over the past two weeks, so I haven't been wanting too severely.

Before I forget, however, here is a quick run-through of my fortnight's occupation:

Flew back from Denmark in a window seat/ Harry and Sally met me at the airport - the term 'met' used loosely here, as they were waiting at UK Arrivals, for some bizarre reason/ Shopping in Cambridge/ Pizza Delivery, Knocked Up and Ben & Jerry's ice-cream/ No Internet/ Sugar and Lemon Pancakes/ Unintentional shopping spree/ I Eiffel Tower London, Anchor Socks and Summer Dresses/ Euston - Chester - Colwyn Bay - Criccieth/ Ty Newydd Creative Writing weekend/ 'Boy George's' resting place/ Dinosaur, Joy, Explode/ Disney singing and popcorn/ Fish finger sandwiches/ Opticians/ Long, hot bath/ Cheese Fondue/ Vicki's house & catch-up/ Chocolate Fondue/ Art trip/ Preliminary W.I. Meet (fingers crossed for Granny 'Smiths♥)/ Russell Square and Tiger Tiger/ Design Museum/ How to Make Cute Things and Sukie iron-on patches/ Bella Italia/ Sleep-overs/ Saatchi Gallery/ Selfridges & Starbucks/ Resting in the Library/ Waterloo Road depression/ Train to Birmingham/ Crufts 2009/ Cocker Spaniels/ Fly-ball mini dogs/ Ben & Jerry's ice-cream cone/ Golden Retrievers/ The Royal Tennenbaums.

And hopefully blog-writing will remain up-to-date from now onwards.

Denmark continued.

Day Four/ Day Five/ Day Six/ Day Seven.

Wednesday:
We activated our three-day Copenhagen Cards on Wednesday morning. This included free public transport, so we took the Metro into Copenhagen. We began our day at Christiansborg Palace, the executive home of the Danish monarchy. We had to wear blue plastic bags over our shoes, so we didn't dirty the carpets. Then we visited the ruins under the castle too. Afterwards we walked up the Round Tower, visited the Workers' Museum and the Amber museum and took the bus to IKEA. Here we had tea - Danish Swedish meatballs and chips - and bought some bits and bobs for my dad's flat.

Thursday:
On Thursday we took the train to Roskilde, despite the heavy-lying snow. We went to the cathedral, but it was shut until the early afternoon due to a service. In the meantime, we walked down to the harbour and the Viking Ships Museum located there. We watched a short film about the history of the ships and then we walked about among them. There was ample opportunity for dressing up, to my delight and another short video, which documented the voyage of a reconstructed Viking ship, which sailed from Denmark to Dublin in 2007. I bought several Viking souvenirs in the gift shop, then we walked back up to the cathedral, the town museum and a small cafe where we warmed ourselves with hot chocolate and a rare Danish pastry (or wienerbrød). (I fell over about here. Ouch!) In the evening we ate dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe in Copenhagen and Josh added another pin to his collection.

Friday:
Another snow storm made Friday's plans uncertain, but the trains were running when we reached the station, so we soon set off for Helsingør. Here we visited another town museum - a speciality in Denmark, it would seem - and Kronborg castle, home of Shakespeare's Hamlet. With such a busy schedule there was no time to go in, but it looked very pretty situated on a snowy rise and set against a murky sky. We stepped quickly into the courtyard, where we saw two men in the throes of a film shoot - one can only presume for a Hamlet adaptation. Afterwards, we visited the Karen Blixen museum in nearby Rungsted. It was very inspiring, what with its cases of handwritten notes and early stories, and I went away penning small sentences in my Miffy notebook. We finished the day with a visit to Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Humlebæk, where we saw a Max Ernst exhibition.

Saturday:
Our Copenhagen Cards ran out at 12 o'clock, so we had an early morning dash into the city centre. We whizzed through the Hans Christian Anderson museum, then made our way across to Rosenborg Castle, home of the crown jewels. Here, we witnessed the changing of the guard. The band was playing, which meant that the Queen was in residence. After we had finished our tour of Rosenborg we went to see the Little Mermaid statue. Unfortunately she was smothered in Russian exchange students, who insisted on climbing the rock, despite the warning signs. We left after a couple of photographs and paid the Danish Resistance Museum a quick visit. It warrented longer, but there was still more to do, and soon we arrived at the National Museum. Here we saw artifacts from the Bronze Age religion, Chariot of the Sun and bogmen, among other things. We also visited the Children's Museum, a moment before closing time. In the evening we watched Son of Rambow, until a power cut put an end to our entertainment. We packed once our electricity returned and then we went to bed.