Juno?

Jumper - H! By Henry Holland at Debenhams

Skirt - Republic

I will admit that the Christmas jumper turned out to be something of a bad move today, but the sky was so grey this morning how was I to know how lovely the day would turn out to be? And it's so nice and soft and the print on it is so cute I couldn't wait to wear it!

When I walked into English today I was told that I looked like Juno, and while I wasn't sure how to take this comment (Juno was, after all, pregnant at sixteen) I do think she's pretty awesome, with her laid-back attitude and brilliant sarcasm, it is also one of my favourite films, so overall I wasn't too offended.

Today in school we had a talk on personal statements, and although it was supposed to be helpful advice it really scared me! I didn't realise how fierce the competition for university places was (although come Clearing and they seem to let anyone in) and just how important my personal statement is to my application. I know why I want to do English, why I've always wanted to be a writer, I'm just not sure that it's what the universities want to hear.

The truth is that I wrote a story called "Jenny and the Witch" when I was in reception class and my teacher was so impressed by it that I had to go around all the classrooms in my primary school and read it to everyone. Since then I've wanted to write. Ofcourse other ambitions have come and gone: I've wanted to be a pop star, an actress and a dressmaker at some point in my life, but my love of literature (although not always the stuff I'm supposed to like, I've never been too interested in Shakespeare or the Bronte sisters) and desire to write has stood the test of time.

I'm really scared about applying for university, I hope somewhere decent will have me.

Are any of you applying to university this year?

I wish I'd never met you

Dress - Topshop

Cardigan - George at Asda

Necklace - Primark

Belt - Primark

This is what I wore for school today, I really like the shape of this dress and you've probably seen a lot of girls walking around in similar ones, it was a very popular style at Topshop. I got mine in the sale and accidentally picked up one from the petite range so it is a little short, but luckily I'm not the tallest person anyway so I don't think it is too obscene, especially when I wear it with thick tights and a cardigan like today.

I went to Leicester University at the weekend for an open day, it was nice and the English BA there sounds like a really good course, and it put my mind to rest about having only done Language and not Literature at A Level. The accommodation looked nice and everyone I spoke to was really friendly and helpful, I am still considering it for next year - now my biggest problem is trying to scrape a B in Chemistry. 

Up until now I was really looking forward to university, but going to the open day made it feel very real, and a lot of concerns have risen. I don't want to be one of those people who stay in their room all the time and don't socialise - one of the biggest things I want to gain from university is a bunch of new friends, but I know how much I struggle with talking to new people and I'm terrified that I will get there and hate it like I hated sixth form. But I still feel rather like I should go to university (what else would I do?) and I want to go away - I think commuting would only make me stay in my shell, leaving home might force me out. It's just a big gamble and it's very scary. 

How did any of you deal with meeting lots of new people, either at work or at university?

About Time

I went to see "About Time" today and just wanted to give you my thoughts on it. I am by no means a film critic and I don't know anything about film making, I just liked it. I'll try to talk about it without giving too much away. 

It starts in Tim's house in Cornwall, where he is told that he has the ability to travel in time. From then on, he uses his power to fix anything he messes up (he tries talking to Mary many times before he gets it right) he is clearly besotted with her, but in a very English bumbling-along kind of way, not all smooth and slick, which is just so charming. Tim's family home in Cornwall is just beautiful, and tea on the beach looks like the most wonderful thing to do - I would love a house by the sea in Cornwall like that.

Overall, it's just a really nice, cute film to watch on a girly movie night. I'm not trying to say that it's the best film ever made, it is what it is, a rom com, but a good rom com. It's a film that makes you happy but also want a boyfriend as lovely as Tim. As a redhead myself, I am not opposed to a ginger man. 

I would recommend you go and see this film.

Jack Wills AW13

Like the idiot that I am, I signed up for the Jack Wills catalogue to be sent to my house. Why I did this I will never know, I can never afford anything that they sell, and it just makes me sad to know how many pretty clothes there are out there that I cannot afford.

I can only apologise for the poor picture quality, my scanner has done terrible things to the really nicely designed magazine. The inside pages are made from a lovely paper, like Company magazine.

First on my list is this gorgeous mustard hoodie. Although I am not as big a fan of hoodies as I used to be a couple of years ago (now I prefer jumpers and cardigans) I'm really drawn to the striking mustard shade and I think worn casually with jeans and a simple top, it would be very comfortable when I'm sat on freezing buses over the coming months.

Glendale Classic Zip Through - £54.50

Next on the list is one of these classic-fit shirts, personally I love the one pictured on the model on the left, and how it looks simple yet sophisticated with a pair of simple dark skinnies. Once again, I'm not usually a big wearer of this style, but that doesn't mean I can't start.

Highmoor Shirt - £44.50

And lastly we have this beautiful paisley print playsuit. As you may know, I adore a good playsuit: all the femininity of a dress with the dignity of shorts (although they are a pain when you need the loo) this long sleeved number would be great for autumn/winter parties and Christmas family gatherings. Why must it be so expensive?

Bewerley Playsuit - £89.50

I wish I was rich.

Crawling back to you

Jumper - Next

Necklace - Alnwick Market

Skirt - H! By Henry Holland at Debenhams

This jumper up until recently was sitting unloved in the depths of my ever-expanding wardrobe, but a few days ago I decided to go all DIY and give it a new lease of life by cutting off the long lace trim that made it more of a jumper-dress. A thin, cropped sleeve black jumper is perfect for this time of year when the weather is getting colder.

I got the skirt yesterday from Debenhams and is yet another purchase from the Henry Holland range at Debenhams which I'm sure I have previously explained is one of my favourite ranges at the moment. There is also an adorable Christmas jumper in the collection but I am not sure that I can justify a Christmas jumper at the beginning of September, unfortunately.

The much anticipated new album from Arctic Monkeys was released today, AM, hence the title of today's post. I am greatly upset that I didn't manage to get tickets to go and see them in November but hopefully I will get to see them one day. 

My new wall

This has been my project for the past few days, inspired by Kirstie's Fill Your House For Free (her shows make me want to leave home just so I can have a lovely pretty house!) I went into the loft and found some old frames, then sanded them down and painted them before hanging them on my wall. It was really easy and I'm happy with the effect. 

An Arctic Monkeys lyric made from cut out magazine pages. 

My collection of train tickets. 

The drawing that Hannah did of me and put in my Secret Santa bag last Christmas. 

The cucpakes I made for Hannah's 15th

Me and the girls dressed up for a meal at Frankie and Benny's for Hayley's (third from the left) birthday last year. 

Me and the girls dressed up as The Spice Girls for last year's sixth form Halloween party.

A sunset, because sunsets are pretty.

The Amazing Sounds and Lights show in Futuroscope, France.

Me and the girls at Hannah's cowboys-and-Indians 16th

The campervan that was across from us on holiday a couple of days ago.

The Eiffel Tower, when I went to Paris a few years ago.

Everything will be okay

At some point I will post about fashion again, but you are warned in the header that this blog is "fashion and miscellaneous" so I can get away with writing about whatever I like from time to time.

On Friday I went for a job interview. It was my first official job interview and I was so nervous, I was taken to the manager's office where I sat facing a middle-aged man who asked me why I wanted to work at Primark. Whatever I said must have been the right thing because at the end of the interview he offered me the job! 

Yesterday I had my induction (they work fast at Primark) where I had to fill in a ridiculous amount of forms and listen as the supervisor read from the staff handbook. There were six of us starting yesterday so it was nice to be in a group. I got till trained and I think I've forgotten everything I was told then got sent to work on my department. It was a very full day and I was so tired when I eventually got home, but luckily my contract means that I only have to work four hours a week. 

So now I finally have a job with contracted hours so I know how much money I'm going to get every month which is lovely. It feels so strange to not be constantly job hunting.

School is also going well, although I haven't been in almost seven weeks my AS results were good so that puts me in a good position for my A2 exams and hopefully university next year. 

In conclusion, my life is going alright, and I hope yours is too.