Friday 9 October 2015

OOTD | Feet Don't Fail Me Now

Hello everyone! Holly the hermit here!

I am so sorry I've been so quiet for the last month, its absolutely disgraceful blogging behaviour! I do have a good excuse though, I'm finally back in Newcastle for my final year at university! I'm so happy to be back after what seems like forever, but I'm terrified at the prospect of this being my last year. I suppose we all have to grow up eventually...but not just yet right?

I've had a lovely few weeks adjusting to being back at uni and now I feel like I'm ready to fully throw myself into third year. I had a wonderful, mind exploding inspiration burst earlier so I'm feeling good about all of my briefs now which is a relief. This semester should be a very busy one but full of all sorts so I'll try keep you guys in the loop and put as much of it on here as I can.

But anyway to today's post...Seen as I'm back in Newcastle I felt an OOTD was in order, to get me back in the swing of blogging and get me feeling creative again. Enjoy the pictures!:








 





So in these pictures I am decked out completely in Zara and Dr Martens. The skirt and jumper are new purchases (oops!) from Zara, the jumper I think was £30 and the skirt £26(?) and my bag and shoes are both Dr Martens.

The song this post is named after is Feet Don't Fail Me Now by Foxes. I loved her first album and by the sound of the new singles she's released this album's going to be even better! Feet Don't Fail Me Now came out about a month ago but I've been returning to it again and again because I just love the lyrics. They really motivate me and I've needed that the past few weeks having started uni again.

I am also so happy to announce that I have been shortlisted for the North East Bloggers Awards 2015! I've been shortlisted for the music category as well as Nerd Pit and NEMM so good luck to both of them! I'd also like to say a massive thank you to Dr Martens, who are sponsoring the category, and thank you to OPR who organise the event. I can't wait for the awards ceremony as its the first time my blog has ever been nominated for an award and I'm sure it will be a fantastic and wonderfully entertaining evening.


That's all for today I'm afraid, but I'll be back with more adventures or rants or god knows what sometime soon. Please be patient with me as it is going to be an extremely busy few months, but I'll do all I can to blog as often as possible. I hope you're all well and happy, if any of you have started new schools or university good luck and enjoy yourselves!

Until next time,

Holly

Tuesday 1 September 2015

Mindful Musings | A Note To Men In Nightclubs/Bars

Hello everyone! I hope you're all enjoying the last of this wonderful summer.

I have a few things to vent about today...

I went on a night out the other day to Leeds with one of my best friends and we had an amazing time. We hadn't been out together since February on account of her working and me being away at university so this was well overdue and I was really looking forward to it.

We had a brilliant time however a few things, or rather people, nearly ruined it for me. Truthfully, they didn't ruin it at the time because I was a bit too drunk for them too bother me then, but now I've looked back at it I am becoming increasingly infuriated.

I won't go into the specific details but in reaction to the incidents/comments that occurred on my night out, I have a few things I'd like to say to men in nightclubs/bars:

1. Just because its now late at night/early in the morning, it does not mean no one will notice or care if you're a whore.
I'm not that drunk that I don't judge you for trying it on with every girl in the building. You physically disgust me.

2. I go out in town to dance. I repeat, to dance.
Unbelievable I know, that I should go somewhere which provides an environment for exactly that purpose so that I can enjoy myself by dancing until the early hours, but that is my reason. If I wanted to go out to meaninglessly get with five men in one night, I'd join a swingers club. If you can't tell from my ridiculous dancing that it is all I want to do that evening, then you're an imbecile.

3. I am perfectly willing to dance with people I don't know, as long as I give my consent.
If a guy grabs my hand and starts dancing with me, as long as I'm ok with it and say so, I am perfectly happy to dance with him. As I've previously mentioned, I go out to dance, so I don't mind dancing with people. If you try to start dancing with me and I walk away or say no, following me round the club and trying to physically pull me away from my friends will not encourage me to dance with you. Instead you'll end up with a restraining order.

4. If I dance with you but do not want to kiss you, that does not make me a tease.
Did I say I was going to kiss you then refuse to at the last minute? No. That would make me a tease. If I'm dancing with you thats because that is all I want to do. If I wanted to kiss you, you'd know about it. I wouldn't purposefully tease or lead anyone on, thats just cruel.

5. I dress up for a night out in town because I want to look good. I do this for myself.
Not for anyone else's benefit, but for my own. I get dolled up with a nice dress and I take special care with my hair and makeup because I want to feel good about myself. Please believe me when I say, I could not care less what you think or whether you like it. I don't know you, so why would I care? Your opinion, regardless of whether its good or bad, will not have any effect on me. The sun will still rise in the morning and I will go about my life no differently because of your opinion, so please keep it to yourself.

6. If I'm wearing a skin tight or short dress, it does NOT imply the following things;
 - I am out "to pull".
 - I am wearing it to attract attention to myself.
 - I give you permission to touch me. Anywhere. Get your fucking hands off me.
 - I am being a tease.
The most likely reason I'm wearing this dress is because I like it, I don't give a shit if you do. The decision to wear it was mine, your opinion is irrelevant. Did I know you before I came out? No, so why on earth would I care?

7. If you say to me "Kiss me" and I say no, please respect that decision and either carry on dancing with me, or go away.
I am a human being, not a inanimate object. I have a right to do whatever I want to, the same way you do. If you ignore my response and continue trying to shove your tongue down my throat, you'll end up with a slap. Additionally, telling me to "Chill out" because you're ego can't deal with rejection, will result in you being told very sharply to fuck right off. I do not need to chill out and I certainly do not need some drunken, horny, stranger telling me to do so. Seriously, fuck off.

8. Three minutes worth of conversion does not mean I am any more likely to kiss you than if I knew nothing about you.
Just because I now know maybe your first name and where you're from, I am not bursting with desire. If this surprises you than you seriously need to keep your ego in check. There are 3.5 billion of you men on the planet, your name and current city of residence does not make you special.

9. Saying to me "You're so fit" is the most pathetic and laughable way you can attempt to seduce me.
I mean really? Is that honestly the best you could come up with? How long were you working on that line? A whole of one second? If you even consider repeating those words to me you can just leave, you clearly do not care enough to give me more than a seconds thought. Forgive me if I'd care for a little more. Up your game, its embarrassing.

10. It is perfectly acceptable for my boundaries and standards to be different from yours.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and is allowed to do whatever they want, within reason. If you want to go out and get with someone, fine by me as long as that person is similarly comfortable with it. If your expectations are higher than mine, that does not mean I have to meet them. I am allowed to decide what I do and what I don't do, that decision does not belong to you. If you don't like my decision or my boundaries, fucking lump it. Your ego is the least of my worries.

11. Just because I don't want to kiss you does not make me frigid.
Or rather the adjective I got on this particular instance; "timid". I'm not fucking "timid", I'm just not interested. There is a difference. I shake my hips a lot when I'm dancing because thats just how I dance, do you seriously think I would be dancing as boldly as I do if I was frigid? Lack of interest is why I don't want to kiss you. If you have to pretend theres something wrong with me so your ego doesn't get bruised, then grow the fuck up.

12. Keep your hands to your fucking self.
Trust me, you do not need slide your disgusting hands across my waist or arse whilst trying to move past me. We can all see the metres distance between me and the next person that you're trying to walk through. Therefore there is no reason for you to press your body up against mine and touch me whilst trying to walk past. Alcohol consumption by either party does not give you "touching rights", which by the way is a disgusting and fictitious concept. You have no right to touch me. Just because I've had a drink does not mean I will not punch you and call you a twat for molesting me. Also saying "Excuse me" does not make it forgivable, you dickhead.

I think this is the end of my complaints list, however I still feel irritated because I don't feel I've expressed myself well enough because my fury is clouding my grammatical judgement. I still feel too wound up by some of these things that I can't think or write coherently and articulately. I apologise for the swearing but this is how infuriated I can become by these things.

I am a feminist and I hate the bad reputation it currently has as a group of angry women violently fighting for our rights. Whenever I get in a discussion about gender equality I always try to remain as calm as possible as thats the best way to be persuasive, but women go through this way too often for me to remain calm anymore. I do not deserve to have my night ruined because of some arsehole who thinks he can touch me just because he's drunk and we're in a dark room. Quite often I purposefully cover myself up in high collared tops or jeans on a night out specifically so I don't get groped and yet it still happens. I shouldn't have to alter my wardrobe because I'm worried I'm going to be harassed, especially when the outfit I want to wear isn't inappropriately revealing anyway.

Right, I better shut up before this post gets even longer and I anymore angry. If you're reading this and are guilty of any of the offences listed above, please think seriously about your actions and how it affects us women. It might seem like nothing to you but feeling violated should not be a regular part of a night out. Respect people's decisions, they are humans too. But be warned, if you act like a pig, you'll be treated like one.

Speak to you soon.

Holly

Wednesday 19 August 2015

OOTD | Cinderblock Garden

Hello everyone, how are your summers all going?

I know a few of you are probably getting bored of me talking about Cornwall still, but to be perfectly honest I don't care! It was too wonderful and too beautiful for me not to want to share it and wish I was still there.

This outfit that I'm sharing with you today, a few of you may recognise from a post on A Freak Of Fashion I wrote last year, but I love it and I feel so myself in it that I always return to it.

I wore this outfit on the day that the pictures in my last post were taken when we went to Plymouth and Looe. These pictures were taken once we returned to Newquay and as the sunset was so beautiful that night Katie and I went for a walk along Fistral Beach and took these pictures.

These are absolutely stunning so thank you and well done to Katie for taking them! I'm sorry there are so many but it was impossible to choose a few favourites. I haven't edited any of these because I wanted you all to see how gorgeous the sky was that evening without thinking it was thanks to Photoshop. Enjoy...

















So as you can see, it was stunning! The skyline looked incredible and I was so envious of all the surfers in the water enjoying the last few minutes of daylight. I absolutely adored surfing and I can't even begin to think how lovely it must have felt to be out in the waves that evening. Its no wonder that I am now set on living by the sea one day is it?

In this post I'm wearing one of my favourite dresses that I bought a few years ago in the summer sale in Warehouse. I've paired it with my vintage Levi's waistcoat, my Roxy flip-flops and my vintage sunglasses from Flip in Newcastle. Dead simple I know but as I've said I adore it and feel so comfortably myself in it that I don't care if I wear it to death.

The song this post is named after is one that I have adored since the very first time I heard it. When All Time Low brought out their new album, Future Hearts, this year there was one song that stood out for me even though they were all fantastic. Cinderblock Garden sounds like a strange title but I swear it is one of the most romantic and beautiful songs I've ever heard. I still find myself singing it randomly throughout the day and after I discovered an even more beautiful acoustic version that was it, I was completely obsessed. Please go listen to either the original or the acoustic version (they're both on Youtube) as I need more people to share my love of this song, its too heavenly.

So, I hope you enjoyed these pictures and if you aren't now dying to go to Cornwall I'm not sure you're sane, please consult an expert. As always there's more coming soon so don't go away. I hope you're all doing well.

Holly

Thursday 13 August 2015

A Roadtrip Round Cornwall and Devon

Hello everyone! I hope you're all well.

Today's post is another from our holiday to Cornwall, a little road trip to share with you all!

On the Wednesday of our week in Newquay we were scheduled in for surfing lessons with Fistral Beach Surf School who we'd be learning with that week, but the sea was too rough so they were postponed. This meant that we had to shuffle up our plans for the week and instead we took a little road trip round Cornwall and Devon.

As I've said before, my family love this part of the country and there are a lot of places that are special to us. Newquay is obviously one of them, but Plymouth is very important to my parents as they both went to university there and its where they met, a place called Rame Head a little further down the coast is also significant to them as it was a special place they used to go walking and finally the town of Looe, a place we all adore.

As Katie had never been to Cornwall before this trip it was also a wonderful chance for her to see some more of the country, and we had the best bits to show her. As Plymouth was the furthest drive we started there, crossing the Tamar and into the city. We parked by the Hoe looking over the bay then walked down the hill towards the harbour front.





I have no clue what Dad is doing but it tickled me!












First stop once we got to the water front was Cap'n Jaspers, a legendary eatery in Plymouth. This place has been here since before Mum and Dad came here for university and they came all the time. We have heard some infamous and ridiculous stories about this place and every time we're in Plymouth we always stop for lunch. Mum and Dad had tea as is the tradition at Cap'n Jaspers and even though Dad was tempted for Half a Yard of Hotdog (yes they actually serve half a yards worth of hotdog, I've seen it, its ridiculous!) he joined the rest of us with a burger.



There were loads of old bikers and punks sat outside and some of them looked truly brilliant. A little eccentric for their age but hats off to them, they are committed and clearly did not care.


Mum and Dad with their tea, just like when they were students.





We then had a wonder round some small art galleries/shops, vintage shops and Katie and I bought possibly the most delicious Devonshire fudge in the world. Katie bought some Baileys flavour fudge and I had peanut butter and some apple and cinnamon flavour. As you've probably guessed, this was not at all a healthy day!



This shop was probably my favourite that we visited that day. Its called The Book Cupboard and has floor after floor of beautiful, old and second-hand books. As some of you may know, I adore classical literature and I'm always reading. I also love traditions and old things that have been carefully preserved, which is why I've recently started collecting really old hard back books. 

I currently have four in my collection; two copies of Shakespeare's work, MacBeth and Twelfth Night, from 1925, a copy of Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen from 1946 and now, thanks to The Book Cupboard, a stunning copy of my favourite novel of all time; The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton from 1936. I was so delighted to find this stashed away in one of the towering and jam-packed shelves of the third floor and it has quickly become one of my favourite things. Its gorgeous and now every time I have a craving to read a quick passage from the book I have a wonderfully old edition to read it in. 

After Plymouth, we headed to Rame Head for a little, and really rather windy, walk. 













My lunatic family...


The old watch station





Mum and Dad in their happy place.


*strike dramatic stance and stare stirringly into the distance*


And then Mum decided to practise Tai Chi, because now was obviously the time to do so!

We left Rame Head when we couldn't stand the cold and wind anymore and headed mid-afternoon to the final stop on our road trip, the fishing village of Looe. It is by far one of my favourite places in Cornwall, I think we came here on my first trip down to the south west and its stayed with me ever since. I just love the way the houses are dotted on the sides of the river bank and how they curve round the sides of the hills. They looked stupidly beautiful that evening and it was just gorgeous.






After an ice cream we also decided that we needed caffeine so we stopped at The Old Boat House which was simply lovely.















So as you can see we had a very varied day but it was absolutely heavenly and the weather treated us pretty well. It was so nice to go back to all of these places we have such special connections to and to show Katie more of the Cornish county, if she didn't fall in love with it on this day then I don't know what it will take!

I hope you all enjoyed this post and liked the pictures, have any of you ever been round this part of the country? Where are your favourite places? Next time I'll have another OOTD post so stay tuned.

I hope if any of you got your results today you achieved everything you needed.

Till next time,

Holly