Adulting: Gallery Walls

A couple of weekends ago, I wrote a pair of posts about spring cleaning, in my life and on my blog. If I am honest, I haven’t done much with my blog, realising I needed to make some big decisions before I embarked on the mission. My room however, that was a different matter. I knew it needed sorting, and the response from the post confirmed that, so I set about tidying it.

It took a while, I can’t lie to you. There were lots of things to sort out and put away, and there was even furniture to move round. I sorted the mess on the floor, actually going through the papers and the clothes and sorting them into things to keep and things to chuck as I went, and started thinking of proper places to put things for the long run. I made full use of my under bed storage (something that I had completely forgotten about) and slowly but surely put my room together into a respectable place.

Disasters and Reunions

My first week back in England has been one full of mixed emotions. I’ve made new friends, and reconnected with old ones; I’ve made appointments and begun the dreaded process of a personal MOT; I’ve had the worst Bout of Books week that I have ever had; and I am struggling a little through the boredom that is the world of unemployment.

I’m Home

After 11 months of travelling and all that it entailed, I am pleased to inform you that I am home, safe and sound. And annoyed with myself. During the last 4 (crazy and awesome) weeks of travelling I explored many of Florida’s best attractions. The problem is I was so excited and exhausted that blogging played second fiddle, and I haven’t posted for a month. I am sorry, and over the next few days I am setting about filling in the blank spaces towards the end of my amazing trip!

Grand Plans

3 weeks today, Jade and I will be arriving in Florida. 3 weeks tomorrow I see my parents ofr the first time in nearly a year. 5 weeks yesterday, we meet up with Jade’s family, and 7 weeks on Monday we fly home and the grand travel adventure is over, done-zo, finito. I can’t believe how fast it has all gone, and how soon I am going to be home.

It’s beginning to look a lot like …

…another standard Wednesday Evening.

Happy Christmas Eve everybody (unless you’ve already made it to Christmas Day, in which case, Happy Christmas!). I can’t believe Christmas Eve is already here. I can’t believe I have been travelling for over 3 months. I can’t believe Jade and I left Bangkok for Roi-Et exactly 2 months ago today. Time flies.

Have Yourself a Thai Christmas

December is well and truly here. It has rained, it’s gone cold*, and the Christmas decorations have gone up. Despite being half way around the world. I’ve received some Christmas cards from family, which has been lovely, some of which have turned out to be advent calendars (thanks Gran and Auntie B), so the whole place is beginning to feel a lot more festive.

*It’s only about 27 degrees this week, so, erm….cold.

Birthday Abroad

Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me-eeeeeeee, Happy Birthday to me!

In case you hadn’t guessed, it’s my birthday. Well, technically it was yesterday, but I fell asleep as I started this so…oops. It’s a bit strange being in a different country in your birthday. To be honest, it didn’t really feel like it was my birthday at all.

I <3 Liverpool

I’m not normally one to randomly write I ❤ …… but I have decided that when it comes to Liverpool, that sums up my feelings well. I realise I start sentences/posts with ”I’m not normally one to…” or ”I don’t usually…” but this really is one of those cases.

”The magic of Liverpool is that it isn’t England” Margaret Simey

I have lived in Liverpool since birth. I am 100% a scouser through and through. I often say to people that Liverpool is the greatest city on Earth, and I sort of believed it. It wasn’t like I didn’t believe what I was saying, but I really took all the great things about the city for granted. Having friends up this weekend has reaffirmed my love undoubtedly, and even though we just aimlessly walked round the city, it is mightily impressive.

Home, Sweet Home…?

Earlier this week, I stood on Lancaster Railway station waiting for the 14:39 Virgin train to London Euston for the las time, and I had a thought: “Do I Instagram this moment? It’s probably significant.” I never bothered, can’t say (yet) that I regret that. I still haven’t had that “this is it, this is the end moment” that everyone else on my Facebook feed seems to be having. I haven’t completely moved out of Lancaster yet, a load of my stuff still sits in my house there, but I have moved back into my parents house until I travel in September, so full all intents and purposes, I no longer live there. Maybe it will hit me when I need to find places in my room for all my stuff, or when I pack the last box of kitchen utensils for the last time, or maybe it will be when I stand alongside my friends at Graduation. I just don’t see it happening. Even though I won’t be able to go back like my friends will next year, when they need a break from the real world, I just don’t really get that end moment.

There are things about being home that are just awesome: having a decent shower, the ability to have a nice relaxing bath without feeling like you’re in a cave with a cave troll jumping above you (our extractor fan was rather noisy), being able to sit downstairs without worrying about next doors cat climbing through the window, having a big TV that has sky and HD and record and shows sport how it should be watched, the dishwasher (not having to wash all the dishes is vastly underrated) a separate washer and dryer, a garden, cars to pop to the shops in, better food, bath towels (not Disney beach towels – as much as I love them, there is nothing like getting out of the bath and wrapping yourself in a fluffy bath towel), family, and Liverpool.