I think I'm getting addicted to writing these things.
No seriously.
I nearly wrote one yesterday, but I was so tired, I almost fell asleep on the keyboard.
I love writing, especially when I can be creative with it - writing short stories, random drabble, notes, and my blog (of course), to name but a few aspects.
However, when it actually comes to my Uni work, for example, journals and assignments, the complete opposite happens, no matter how hard I try to tell myself that I can be somewhat creative in my responses. It's mad.
Anyway, enough about education for one day (I had placement earlier - I'm exhausted, as I'm sure many of my course-mates are). I wanted to show you guys something!
I didn't manage to get this on when I put up the snowy posts (see "Shopping in the Slush" or "The Great British Avalanche - Part 2"), so now I've got the piccy thingy working again, I can show you what I made in February last year...
This, ladies and gentlemen, is Dennis.
Dennis is a snow-reindeer based on my Mum's Christmassy toy of the same name (that one's a LOT smaller). I spent about 2 hours making him, and is the very reason why I wished I was back in Nottingham for the snow.
In fact, me and my family found out a great thing about Dennis.
He was so stable*....
We could ride on him!
*apologies for the bad pun; it wasn't intentional, honest! :P
I love the snow, but I like the warm better. Which is all the more relieving for me when the rain washed away all the snow in York before it became ice. Snow = good. Ice = need skates.
I do have my own skates, however the distinct disadvantage of my current situation is that they are in Nottingham. Maybe Dad'll take me ice-skating when I go back for Easter *flutters eyelashes* :3
*Warning - boring bit!*
By the way peeps, I'm going to start putting together a few cover songs on soundcloud soon - I'll let you know when they're ready :)
Also, don't forget to keep up-to-date with what's happening:
Here's the Facebook group: Pink, Purple and Dinky - The Official Group (type in search bar)
My Twitter: @Katylizzie1804
And my YouTube account: http://www.youtube.com/user/Katylizzie1804
Plus, please spread news of my blog if you like it! I love having new readers :) and let me know via Facebook/Twitter/the comments below if you have a blog, so that I can read yours too!
Sorry for the self-promo; I won't be doing it as much after this post. I tried it on Twitter with a couple of celebrities the other day and I wasn't sure if it had worked or not. Embarrassment central.
Now to finish writing the rest of my Uni work, like I'm supposed to be doing...
Hey guess what?
I got the oven on, people!!
I made these dinky cakes for the students who go to Equip (St. Mike's), who ate all 81 of them during their small groups! :)
They were a lot of fun to make - I used a piping bag for the first time whilst creating these bite-size treats, and I love it! (I used a plunger-type thing before, so it made an interesting change!)
My flatmates* all helped me to decorate these, too - they put the little edible ball-bearings in the centre of each cake! We were like a conveyor belt!
One of the challenges of transporting these cakes was actually getting them so that I could carry them all to the venue at once. At first I thought I wasn't going to be able to manage it, but then one of my flatmates had an idea.
This is how the cakes were transported in the end:
A couple of them did get a little squashed, but all the icing and ball-bearings stayed on at least!
I love baking, especially when I get to share it all with people - that's actually one of my favourite things about baking cake. However, it's just the funding to do them that's the problem. I do have a budget while I'm at Uni, but I have to keep a close eye on it. Not because of drinking, mind! It's because I love my food, and I tend to buy a lot of it - sometimes without even thinking about it!
I should be baking some more cakes soon though. I need to use up the eggs I have left. :P
By the way, a quick shout out to Prefontaine; they passed 1000 plays on their Soundcloud last week, so go check them out: https://soundcloud.com/#prefontaine-uk
They also have a Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/#!/Prefontainetheband?fref=ts
...A Twitter account: @PrefontaineUK
...And a YouTube account: http://www.youtube.com/user/PrefontaineMusic
Gotta go now peeps. Uni awaits - and the way things are sounding, a lot of cake requests await, too...
*When I say "flatmates", I generally mean "people I know who live in the same complex as me" :)
I WOULD say "Shopping in the Snow", as we had about 5 inches of the fluffy stuff last night - however, this has all started to melt throughout the day, so many are slipping and sliding their way around. This included me as I went shopping today; I nearly fell over a fair few times!
This is what it looked like last night:
Let's just say that huge snowflakes + a couple of friends up for a snowball fight/walk = one INCREDIBLY happy Cathy :3
Anyway - shopping! I had to buy jogging bottoms today, for 1. my uni course and 2. keeping fit (optional), so it was only right to have a little wander around York for something to do.
I popped into the Yorkshire Soap Company's shop (Blake Street) today to have a little look around, and I'm pleased to report that not only does the soap look more amazing than ever, they've got these HUGE candles that look like fresh-fruit-based cakes!! They told me they were made in Italy (hi to any Italians reading this)!
Photos aren't allowed in the shop, so have a look at their website if you have a couple of moments: http://theyorkshiresoapcompany.co.uk/en/. As for the fresh-fruit candle cakes - well, you'll just have to see them in the shop to believe it!
Anyway, steering gently away from the well-deserved promo, I also popped into a WHSmiths looking for a pen (which I forgot about after this event), when I saw a Costa I found on Monday. Not only did I have my lunch in there, I inadvertently stayed in the warm for at least 2 hours!
I wasn't complaining though - the staff were very friendly, one of which I had chatted to on Monday already, so we picked up our conversation whilst he was kept busy by a swarm of customers! He told me that this Costa was usually "the quietest Costa in York" - although now I've mentioned it, he'll probably have more customers to deal with. *Sorry!*
Ooh! By the way! I posted another vlog thingy on YouTube a few days ago, as the blog hit 2500 pageviews!!! Woop woop! *does a little dance* If you want to check it out, go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpGreD19Ib8
I think that's all I've got for the moment, peeps :) Now for dinner exploits...
Remember in my last post I mentioned we weren't getting much snow?
Well....now we have plenty - and it's still falling!!
I'm sat at my computer on what is supposed to be a placement day, however myself and my coursemates couldn't actually get there because of the snow! Even though the school was open, the roads were pretty dangerous, so we tried, but ended up staying in the warm.
No doubt I will probably have a snowball fight later on though - on Saturday I had a 22-person game of 'capture the flag' which included throwing snowballs!! I got hit quite a few times, and I still ache, but it was a LOT of fun! The biggest snowball fight I have ever had, in fact! :D
What's more, we just got an amber weather warning for snow over today and possibly part of tomorrow too, so here's hoping for deep snow :3
Even though I'm sniffling due to a nasty cold that's crept up on me, the best thing about going out in the snow isn't just the crunching of it under your wellies, or having snowball fights, or even building snowmen.
It's when you've just come back into the warm and you have a steaming mug of hot chocolate waiting for you, as well as a coal fire that you can sit in front of to warm up, and you can look out of the window to admire your handiwork.
Shame I'm not in Nottingham for all this, really...
The people of Great Britain are currently experiencing the joys (or indeed, trials) of the very recent snowfall. A small patch in Wales has even gotten itself a rare red weather warning because of a deluge of the fluffy stuff.
York, however, has a distinct lack of it at the moment.
You would've thought that the further up north you go, the more snow you're gonna get (talk about a scientific misconception). But nope - although we did get some snow, the cold snap has decided to make a nearby small river freeze over instead. Which is funny when you see a duck try and stay upright (and fail miserably, of course).
I'm supposed to be going on a weekend away soon as well, and there's a lot more snow down there than there is up here, so I'll be taking many warm jumpers, a blanket and a flask of ready-made tea with sugar (heresy to most of you, I'm sure; I like my sugar, thank you :3), not to mention bags of sweets and probably a pair of earmuffs if Stathern Lodge was anything to go by! (I think the account of that is either in my very early posts or in my now-inactive blog, I'm not sure - basically, me and a church that one of my friends attended went to a residential in November 2010, and they had no heating. Brilliant, but cold :P)
Well, regardless of whether we're actually going or not, I'm sure I'll have a good weekend wondering if I'll still be going to placement on Monday, all depending on either the school being snowed in (or not) or if I've got snow halfway up my legs (or not). Meh - I don't mind, this is snow we're talking about! I love the stuff!
That is, until it all turns to ice....
Edit: We have some now! A little bit at the moment, but this could get fluffy, people...
After struggling with stuff to write about over the past few days due to finishing off various essays last-minute, I think I've finally found something - although, I may have to keep the topic a little incognito, so bear with me.
I've grown up a lot since coming to Uni. From budgeting my own money to living with people besides my family, it's been a whole new experience - and I'm only in the 2nd semester!
So when I look back on my life before Uni, I can clearly see my perspective on some things has changed....A LOT.
I've had a huge jump in personality too - many other people who have been to University told me that some personalities change at least 5 times before they finally settle at the end of University life. Mine's already changed about 2-3 times; not much, but the little things, such as not being as bouncy as I used to be. In fact, when I went home, I almost reverted, and that would have been disastrous if it wasn't for my parents, my sister and my brother-in-law, all of whom gently pointed this out!
So here's the incognito bit. Now, you'll need to think about this one a little bit, because if you think this may involve you, have a think of the bigger picture too - because it might not be.
Some people continue to do what they have been doing since before/around the end of my 6th form years (remember, this could be anyone), which I can cope with just fine.
But now a few others are at it too - it's a little bit like I've stepped back in time, like I'm going through it all over again; but this time, I have my mature head on.
Sure, I was quite bouncy at the start of the year, but now I've calmed down significantly, I can see things in a whole new light.
Sometimes the outcome can be good in these situations, but sometimes it can be a little unhealthy, especially when someone isn't in the same boat as you.
And as you watch it continue, you wish you could do something to at least calm it down, but you don't know how.
For the record, this isn't about anyone in my flat or anyone associated with them. They continue to be brilliant and fun, as you do :)
Sorry for the dreaded "Post of Bleh and Dreariness" - it's just that feeling you get when you wish something - or someone - could just give you a break...
And I've only been back a week...
Happy New Year, everyone!
Okay, I know I said that I'd have the book review done by Christmas, but I've been insanely busy (surprise surprise)! I'll let you all know when it's done :)
Anyways - Christmas was fabulous this year! I got a new pair of boots, just in case I get snowed in my apartment block in York; chocolate in the form of chocolate boxes and pink Smarties (yay!); gift vouchers (I feel a shopping trip coming on...); and books, amongst other brilliant things.
One of the funniest bits about Christmas was when I gave my parents matching 'foam pistols' - you load the gun with a foam ball, then squeeze the handle hard to shoot it! I've discovered that it's a lot of fun watching your parents fire foam spheres at each other, and that they've also proved popular with the children who have come to our house over the holiday period; however, most of the balls have now mysteriously disappeared...
New Year has been just as hilarious - having my sister and her husband round for the celebrations, along with a couple of glasses of tipple, is a recipe for comedy, especially when you're in the middle of cards and someone happens to make you laugh into your cup of tea, making you spill it everywhere....*ahem*....
Although being home in Nottingham has been great, I will soon have to be getting ready for my return to York. This includes finishing any essays due and also packing my growing number of clothes and other objects to take back to the flat. How I'm going to actually fit it all into my wardrobe and drawers is anyone's guess.
I'll probably need to put my Doctor Who fan girl head on: My bedroom is a TARDIS.....
(Note: I'm getting rid of the notes-to-self on here and putting [hopefully] daily ones on my Facebook group page and on my twitter feed, just to let you know where they are :3 Also, don't forget to view my vlog on YouTube! Just type in Pink, Purple and Dinky in the search bar :D)
