I'm baaaack... Part 2!

I'm back from my break, although I'd hardly call it a break it having been the busiest and most exhausting 10 days of my life but anyway. So I thought for my second post in almost as many weeks that I would give you a a more detailed account of what I've been up to. So let's begin at the beginning:

 Friday 11th July 

(Picture via www.daylightfoods.com)

After a long, tiring day at work me and my mum were called to my sister's for a chocolate strawberry emergency - yes, that's a thing!- that required our immediate attention. Now I feel like this needs to be explained because having read it back it does sound completely insane. My sister is really good at planning parties, like really good, so she was enlisted to plan and organise her best friend's mum's hen tea party. Subsequently my mum was drafted in to make chocolate covered strawberries which are something of a specialty for her. And I was called up for chocolate melting duty being both the baker of the family and the only one of us patient enough to actually allow the chocolate to melt. My mum's an amazing cook but doesn't have the patience for desserts and my sister organises the hell out of everything -mostly- together we're a cracking (and incredibly loud) team.  Everything was going swimmingly until a mishap with some freshly whipped cream and melted ganache (warning do not mix cold cream with boiling hot melted chocolate, the cream will split!). After a mad dash around Tesco looking for emergency ganache - who knew there was such a thing?!- we returned, the strawberries were dipped and delicious and we celebrated by ordering a curry, which was also delicious.  Friday was a good food day. And now to Saturday.

Saturday 12th July

On Saturday me and my bestest, quite impulsively, decided to spend the day in London and caught a 20 minute train to the Big Smoke for a day of shopping, sunshine, awesome cookies, excellent theatre - we saw Once- and some quality best friend time. Being British and therefore used to the temperamental (read dreary) British summer time we'd both checked the weather and brought jackets and umbrellas with us due to the 'stormy rain' that had been promised. As fate would have it it turned out to be a bit of a scorcher in the capital so we ended up carrying our jackets around all day. Ah the curse of the overly cautious and prepared. 

We got into London around 10:30ish and headed straight for the TKTS stand in Leicester Square -when we do a day in London we do it properly, and that means taking in a show!- to get tickets for Once. I've already seen Once and thought it was incredible, which it is, and had to share it with The Platonic Love of My Life (she'll get that, no one else will) so I convinced her. And because she is a human woman and Once is about a gorgeous, heartbroken, guitar playing Irishman -be still my beating heart!- she also loved it. But more about that later.

Once we'd got tickets we headed straight to the MAC store in Covent Garden, where I simultaneously managed to be in make up heaven and too intimidated by the very heavily made up salesmen to actually buy anything. So to Selfridges we went where I actually was in make up heaven and no less intimidated. However I somehow managed to overcome my very real fear of the impeccably made up sales people and bought a lipstick. Not just any lipstick either. I bought my very first MAC lipstick (shocking I know how did I not own one already?!). After what felt like hours of near constant swatching I had made my decision and came away with the MAC Amplified Creme Lipstick in the shade Girl About Town - it seemed terribly appropriate- which is the most beautiful blue toned fuschia. It is so very beautiful in fact that I couldn't actually wait to wear it and had it out of the box and on my lips within moments of purchase. 

Isn't it gorgeous?!

Following my minor spending spree in Selfridges it was nearly time for the matinee of Once so we took a casual stroll down Regents Street. Where my new lipstick was immediately tested by the purchase and immediate consumption of the single most amazing thing to ever pass my lips. I am  talking about the glory that is the triple chocolate Ben's Cookie. I had never tried a Ben's Cookie before with them not being readily available in the fashionless backwater from which I hail. But it honestly tasted as if it had been made in God's own oven. Ben, whoever you are, you are a cookie genius! 

(COOOOOKIE! Picture via www.stereogum.com)

After we saw Once, which I loved just as much the second time around, we wondered aimlessly - it being far too hot to do anything with any sense of purpose - down Shaftesbury Avenue in search of food and shopping. Instead we found Forbidden Planet AKA Nerd Heaven. For those of you who don't know Forbidden Planet is the most amazing comic book store. Now I am no comic book nerd BUT I really love a lot of the things associated with the art of comic book nerdery. I'll give you an example I love The Simpsons, Doctor Who, pretty much every Marvel film and even some of the DC ones as well and that is just the tip of the iceberg. So whilst I am not a comic book nerd I could appreciate that Forbidden Planet was awesome, even though it was quite clear that some of the clientele hadn't showered in, well, ever. Here are just some of the hidden treasures we found. 

These are the greatest things I’ve ever seen.

I’m not sure that this is necessary 

We also found the most terrifying action figure of Amy Pond, which I refused to photograph because honestly it will haunt my dreams forever. When we left Forbidden Planet we headed back to Covent Garden towards The Shake Shack for Burgers and Crinkle Fries but the queue was ridiculous so after an idle hour of window shopping -in which I scratched the face of my Marc Jacobs watch (sob) when coming out of Dior - we decided to head home for an early-ish night. All in all we had an amazing day in the Big Smoke! I just wish I had got more pictures.  But here are some of the photos I did take. 

I took this purely so I could send it to my friend who’s last name is Reid. Because that is how cool I am!

This is both terrifying and amazing

Sunday 13th and Monday 14th July continued pretty much as usual, although I came down with a really bad cold which couldn't have come at a worse time due to a very important event that took place on Tuesday 15th July, which I touched upon in yesterday's post (read it here). 

Tuesday 15th July. The day I graduated from university. 

Me and my step-dad Terry, in one of the few pictures that survived my graduation... it's a long story. To sum up Terry doesn't know how to use an iphone so took about 50 pictures of my graduation without taking a single one. He was pressing the home button instead. My mum went  ballistic! 

I woke up with a blocked and snotty nose, a sore throat and a temperature but in true Brit fashion kept calm (I didn't) and carried on (barely). After my sister did my hair I got dressed all fancy like and me, my mum and step-dad piled into the car and headed to Bedford for my graduation ceremony. I think the fact that I was ill sent me into a disassociative state because I didn't even register that I was graduating until I had the cap and gown on and was rushing into the ceremony. Where my mortar board would just not stay put, falling off no fewer than four times. Despite being really ill I had such a good day. The highlight of which was when my former flatmate (and bestie, though he'd deny it), the forementioned Mr. Reid, came and found me for a quick chat before he headed home to Newcastle. I was so touched, bless him.

Wednesday 16th and Thursday 17th July

(Picture via www.radicalpossibility.com)

 I was so ill that I had to call in sick from work and spent the days in bed, moaning and feeling awful. There is nothing worse than being ill in summertime. 

Friday 18th July  I attempted to go back to work but was sent home ill. 

Saturday 19th July was my uncle's wedding. 

Me and my cousin/bestie Jade, we were pulling those faces on purpose! For any Friends fans out there these were our Chandler can't take a good picture faces!

I was still ill - hence the glassy eyes and red nose,-  but managed to make myself look and feel somewhat human (although you can't tell in the picture, hehe). It was such a lovely day. It was so nice seeing all my large and mental family in one place. We are quite the clan. I also got a mention in the best man's speech congratulating me on graduating which was a bit embarrassing but nice as well. Sunday 20th July was spent in a pub garden with the aforementioned family. 

The past 10 days have been so busy but really nice, apart from the days when I was ill. But I am back now and will be posting on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays as normal. So I will be back tomorrow with 2 Stars & A Wish #7.

Until then check out my twitter, facebook, BlogLovin, instagram & pinterest for your daily dose of me... if one is needed ;) 

Love love love xxx