Goodbye April, Hello May...

Hello everyone,

Its almost May which obviously means exams, deadlines but also the final stretch before finishing school and university. This will also be my first month blogging, which has been so much fun. This month I have enjoyed lots of chocolate over Easter with a baking post, been de-stressing with lots of evening walks, and took a trip to sunny, sunny Bournemouth to see McBusted. I also got over excited over Game of Thrones and my favourite songs of the month. Over the course of April I have been spying on everything Instagram and picked an Instagram picture of the month. This month's picture comes from the super cute Maisie Williams. Who posted this beautiful baby pic on her 18th birthday. Happy belated birthday Maisie, you are still as cute as ever.

(Image from Instagram)
But the question is... what am I looking forward to in May? Other than the two bank holidays, I am also looking forward to hearing reviews from a day festival very close to my heart Slam Dunk. I went to this festival every year for 3 years while at school and it allowed me to see some of my favourite smaller bands perform as well as meet them! So if you are going, have an amazing time and if you haven't got a ticket, DO IT!

 (Image from Pinterest)
Also this May there are 3 cinematic releases that I am beyond excited for. First is The Age of Adaline, which I have seen Lana Del Ray raving about all over instagram, and if Lana is crushin' on it we probably should to. This film is about Adaline (the beautiful Blake Lively) who has become unable to age due to an accident at the turn of the 20th Century. After years of running she falls in love with a man who is about to complicate her already complicated life. I think this film will be a good romance to watch with the girls, or your other half if you can drag them to see it. In cinemas 8th May.

(Image from Pinterest)
The Second film I am excited about is Mad Max: Fury Road. This an apocalyptic story set in the furthest reaches of our planet. In this world there are two rebels, Max (the gorgeous Tom Hardy) and Furiosa (the stunning Charlize Theron), who may just be able to restore order. This film is going full of action and with the cast being easy on the eyes I feel this will be popular with a lot of people. Out 14th May.

(Image from Pinterest)
The third film is the long awaited sequel to Pitch Perfect 2. I have been waiting for this ever since I was pitch-slapped with the first film. I am so excited to see whats happened to the girls since the last film and what havoc they cause. This doesn't need much explaining as EVERYONE has seen this film, if you haven't WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? This box office hit will be on our cinema screens on the 15th May.

(Image from Pinterest)
This May the blog will feature a post on last minute revision tips, the ultimate Cardiff bucket list, as well as a Eurovision party. These are a few things I'm looking forward to in May, is there any film or music releases/festivals you are looking forward to in May? Let me know on Twitter or Instagram.

See you Sunday,

Love Katie x

April's payday treats...

Hey everyone,

I have had the busiest week attempting to finish my dissertation ready to hand in next week. However, this week has been a great week for uni students and those working, its payday/ loan day week!! This means the first payday treat post. This post will be all about the albums and films that I really think you should treat yourself with this payday.

1. The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies.

(Image from Pinterest)
I saw this film in the cinema around Christmas time and I loved it. It perfectly ended The Hobbit trilogy and ended with the best start for The Lord of the Rings trilogy. If you haven't seen any of The Hobbit films, I suggest you go pick up all three and have a marathon. They are all incredible in their own ways. This one features many battles scenes, even one with Christopher Lee (I'm surprised he didn't put out his hip, bless him), for the boys, but towards the end there is a little gushy, romance for us girls to enjoy making it one for everyone. (£.9.99 on Amazon)

2. James Bay - Chaos and the Calm.

(Image from Pinterest)
I have not stopped listening to this album since the day it was released. I love James Bay, his voice is stunning and I have not met a person that does not like him. I am so excited to be going to his October tour and I cannot wait to hear the album live. I few of my favourite songs off the album are: If You Ever Want To Be In Love, Scars and Let It Go. (£12.00 from Amazon)

3. Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly

(Image from Pinterest)
Kendrick Lamar isn't my usual go to artist for me but I heard such good reviews I thought I would check it out. Again like James Bay, I haven't stopped listening to it. It is probably my favourite hip-hop album since Magna Carter - Jay-Z. Favourites off the album are: King Kunta, u, and i. (£9.99 on Amazon)

There is just a few treats for this month, have you splurged on any albums or DVD's recently that you feel were amazing and totally worth it? Let me know on Instagram or Twitter.

See you Wednesday for a look into what May has to offer,

Love Katie x

April's Top 10...

Hello everyone,

I am now into my last three weeks of university with mountains of revision and dissertation work due (sad times). On a happier note I am introducing my first 10 songs of the month blog post. These post's will feature 10 songs that I have been listening to within the month and I have fallen in love with. Some may be a little odd but I am sure you will love these tracks as much as I do.

 (Image from Pinterest)
1, Fester Skank - Lethal Bizzle. I am not a huge of Lethal Bizzle's music but I first heard this song while watching Sunday Brunch one morning and the tune in the background as well as the catchy rap had me ready to dance (my favourite line '2 2 chicken nando' makes me laugh every time). It will definitely be one of songs for the summer as it gets me in the mood to party.

(Image from Pinterest)
2. Jealous - Nick Jonas. I was introduced to this song around a month ago by my housemates and ever since its been soundtrack to my life. It has hit the UK massively this month and you can hear it being played almost anywhere which has fuelled my love for it even more. If you haven't already checked it out, youtube the gospel choir version (HERE) it is incredible and made me want to join a gospel choir straight away.

(Image from Pinterest)
3. Sweet Sun - Milky Chance. This song is another song I think will be the soundtrack to my summer. I have bored most people I know by over playing Milky Chance's other hits like Stolen Dance and Down by the River. This one is even better and I am ready to bore everyone again with this amazing song.

(Image from Pinterest)
4. Wildest Dreams - Taylor Swift. This pop princess (in my eyes) can do no wrong. Her latest album speaks to my soul, maybe because her lack of luck with men mirrors mine. This song has been on repeat during my spring walks. If you are having any sort of male related problems give this song (or any off her album 1989) a listen, will clear your head within seconds. As Taylor Swift hasn't released the song on youtube enjoy the cover done by Madilyn Bailey I put as the link on the song.

(Image from Pinterest)
5. Left Hand Free - Alt-J. This song has been around for a while and one of my favourites for equally as long. I cannot stop listening to this song and find the whole newish album amazing. Alt-J never disappoint.

(Image from Pinterest)
6. Sparks - James Bay. This song is off the Hold Back the River single and it is one of my favourite songs he's made. It is more upbeat then Hold Back the River but still has a summery vibe to it.  James Bay's voice is heavenly and I am super excited to see him live in October.

(Image from Pinterest)
7. King Kunta - Kendrick Lamar. This song has such a funky vibe to it, its like Uptown Funks cooler (more chilled) older brother. So if you like a little bit of funk with your rap music this is definitely one to listen to.

(Image from Pinterest)
8. What Happened - McBusted. This song is a perfect McFly/Busted collaboration. The only thing is when I listen to this I get overly emotional as it is all about the Busted split. It doesn't however make me love the song any less and is one of my favourites off the album.

(Image from Pinterest)
9. Sex and Candy - Maroon 5. This is a sultry sassy chilled song off their latest album V. As most of Maroon 5's recent songs are very upbeat this makes a great change. It reminds me of older songs like 'She Will Be Loved' which is an all time favourite for me.

(Image from Pinterest)
10. Go Your Own Way - Fleetwood Mac. This is not a new song I know, but I cannot stop listening to it. It features on the soundtrack to my favourite film (Forrest Gump) and it gets me in a mood where I feel I can conquer anything or do anything I want. It is one of my all time favourites but I am listening it to a lot at the moment as motivation to power through my dissertation and revision.

I hope you enjoyed hearing about the songs I have been obsessed with this month. Have you got any tracks you cant stop listening to? Have you heard any of these and love them as much as I do? Let me know on Twitter or Instagram (links to my profiles are on the side)

Love Katie x

Fun in the sun...

Hello everyone,

Hope you have all been making use of the amazing weather we have had these past few days. I spent two of mine in the lovely seaside town of Bournemouth. I last made this trip around a year ago for exactly the same reason, McBusted. It is becoming a bit of a tradition with me and my friends, that when McBusted are in Bournemouth we make a whole two days of it. 

(Bournemouth in the sun and my iced latte saviour while dying in the car)

We started our road trip with a McDonalds (the way any good road trip should start) and headed down to Southampton. On the way we grabbed a iced vanilla latte and ended up almost dying in the car from being stuck in the midday sun, in traffic. Eventually we made it to Southampton and we could start the first part of our trip, IKEA. The Swedish homeware store has been a favourite of mine ever since my dad first took me to get furniture for a new house. The catalogue used to be my bedtime read and even now I can't resist a nose on their website (luckily I have reason to right now). We whizzed through the show rooms and got inspiration for our dream homes and hit the most lethal part of the store (lethal for my bank balance), the accessories. This part of the store has all the glasses, plates, bedding, lighting and anything that doesn't need building (although I did buy some saucepans a while back that needed building). We all went a little mad but my purchases only came to £9.20, BARGAIN. I got two latte glasses, a martini glass, a daiquiri glass, a little jar, the white tin everyone has these days, and two fake flowers to go in a vase I own. I could have brought a lot more but I was lucky to have my sensible head well and truly screwed on.

(My IKEA buys and the heavenly ranch dressing)

After the little splurge we headed straight down the road to Bournemouth. We stopped in ASDA in the town centre to get some snacks for our stay and I brought myself some ranch dressing. Purely because ASDA is the only place that seems to do it properly (without breaking the bank) and it is a sauce I couldn't go any longer without. We then found our hotel which was a 5/10 minute walk from the beach but we could see the sea from our room. We made ourselves all pretty ready for McBusted. Before the concert we decided as we were by the sea we should have some fish and chips. This was such a task as we didn't have much cash and there seemed to only be one fish and chip shop by the sea front. We hunted around for a while and finally decided on Harry Ramsden's only as they took card. I went for sausages with regular chips and was quite satisfied as it wasn't too greasy and my chips were close to being perfectly crunchy. 

(A few pictures of the McBusted show.) 

After we ate we took a stroll to the BIC, it was more a struggle as Bournemouth is quite hilly and I am not the fittest person on the planet. Inside we got in our seats and waited like excited children on Christmas eve for the main event. The one support act we saw the New City Kings were quite good. They reminded me a lot of All Time Low a few years back and had really good stage presence even if the crowd didn't seem that interested. Just before McBusted came on trailers of classic 80's films and sequels played, it was like reliving small aspects of my childhood and before they even came on stage I was all warm and fuzzy. Then they played a 'previously' clip of last years tour and the whole BIC went mental. Screams filled the air as the stage was shown and the band popped up through the floor one by one. The stage was something else, they were performing on a massive arcade machine. I felt like I was in Wreck-it Ralph. Over the course of the gig you got everything you expected from a McFly/Busted collaboration. Having seen both over the years you had all the hits that made you fall in love with the band (I did miss Sleeping with the Light On though) and the witty banter and naughtiness between songs that I always loved. A few personal highlights were when the boys all came back on stage dressed for a wedding (Harry as a topless priest is soon making it on my wedding board on pintrest) which brought the bromance between Dougie and Matt closer as they were the bride and groom (I also think James loved being a flower girl). They also had a game of street fighter using their massive joysticks and buttons which got me excited even if I was never a huge fan of street fighter until now.

(More pictures from the McBusted show)

Before the encore we saw a video of the boys having a pep talk in the style of the Mighty Ducks and coming back to stage with personalised hockey jerseys to perform the last few songs. When it finished we didn't want it to be over. Not knowing when we will next see the boys that made our childhood was a thought we couldn't handle. Our hotel (conveniently) was up a hill that ran around the back of the BIC so on our way home we stopped and waited to see if we could meet any of the boys. After almost an hour of waiting and being told they had all gone and we were wasting our time, a miracle happened. A car drove past and after seconds of doubt we noticed JAMES BOURNE was in the car. We ran to the window hoping he might stop and get out, but he didn't. He did wave and say Hi, so we still love him. After that moment we needed a good half hour cool down because we couldn't deal with the emotions. We then got back and after checking the social media of the boys to work out where they were we had a peaceful nights sleep. The next day we got up and heading into town to do a bit of shopping, I almost got a pair on sunglasses until I realised my bank card was in another bag but they saved me having to throw out a pair of sunglasses I might use in the near future.

(A few pictures of the sea)

I had such a good few days away in Bournemouth and the weather made it even better. Anyone else get up to anything nice over the few days of sun? or are you planning on seeing McBusted soon or saw them recently? did you love it as much as I did? Keep an eye on my twitter and Instagram to see what I am up to and whats coming soon on the blog.

Love Katie x

Game of Thrones returns...

Hey guys hope you are having a wonderful Wednesday in the sun,

On Monday something I have been waiting months for happened, GAME OF THRONES SERIES 5 FINALLY CAME! Since being told I had to watch the series in June last year, I have been hooked. I never thought I would come to love this series as much as I have and after what felt like years I was more than happy about it coming back to my screen. For those who haven't watched it before I highly recommend you start. It does seem like an acquired taste but if I can get into it I am sure you can too. In brief, the series is about nine families who are fighting for the control of the fictional land of Westeros all believing they have right to the Iron Throne. There is a lot of sex, blood and sword fights so it isn't for the faint hearted. (IF YOU DONT WANT SPOILERS DONT READ ON)

(Images from Pintrest) (Kit Harrison [Jon Snow] and Richard Madden [Rob Stark, I miss you], HBO poster featuring Tyrion Lannister [Peter Dinklage] and Drogon, Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen)

Monday's episode picked straight up from the end of season 4 with very little time gap. After seeing Tyrion Lannister being shipped out of Kings Landing with Varys, it was good to see that they were both doing well (other than the bad reaction to the wine, but we've all been there Tyrion). In Kings Landing, after the death of Tywin Lannister, his two eldest Cersei and Jaime soon realised that the grip their family had on the Iron Throne is slipping and is possibly in danger. Meanwhile in Mareen, Daenerys was reminding her court that she was still queen and would not resort to politics. However this is proving quite difficult when the one thing helping her maintain her power (her beloved dragons) are uncontrollable or missing. Mance Rayder was also set to be burned at the stake for refusing to kneel for Stannis Baratheon but was saved a painful, torturing death by an arrow to the heart from Jon Snow at the last minute.

 (Images from Pintrest) (Maisie Williams [Arya Stark] on the Iron Throne, Natalie Dormer as Margaery Tyrell]

It was not the most dramatic episode by Game of Thrones standards but it did provide some insight into many of the threads left hanging at the end of season 4. One person was missed throughout the episode and that was Arya Stark. Where is she? Is she still on the ship? I'm just hoping she's alright as she is a personal favourite character of mine. Speaking of favourites, Margaery Tyrell (The beautiful Natalie Dormer) had, in my opinion, one of the best lines of the night. After walking in on her brother Loras in the company of another man, she comments on how they are late for a dinner. After he questions her on her respect she simply replies 'I am hungry'. This is why I love her so much, she will do anything for her food. I am looking forward to the next episodes of the series and what twisted things are yet to come as you are never quite sure what may happen.

What did you think of the episode? Are you excited for the rest of the series? Let me know what you think and who your favourite characters are on Twitter or Instagram.

See you Sunday with a blog post on my trip to Bournemouth,

Love Katie x

Dreaming of a far away place?

Hey everyone,

It's been a manic week for me full of revision, dissertation work and catching up with friends. Although when I have had 5 minutes to catch up on social media, I have found when scrolling through Instagram and Twitter it seems everybody I know is jetting off to somewhere recently. Whether it be Coachella, or little places in Europe, it seems like it is only me stuck at home in the UK. This has resulted in big daydreams of far away places. So I thought I'd do a little blog post of some places I have been that I think are awesome holiday destinations and some places I would love to go, hopefully in the near future.

(Image from Pintrest)

1. San Francisco

One of my favourite holidays I have been on was a small road trip of the west coast of America. I have always loved America, the food, the views and the weather have me wanting me to grab a visa asap. For a chilled beach/city holiday I would highly recommend San Francisco. With the beautiful bay area with views of Alcatraz, the Golden Gate bridge and its white sandy beaches where you can relax and top up your tan. However, if like me you can't spend all day sat on a beach just a quick cable car ride up the many hills and you end up in the middle of the city. Full of shops like PACSUN and Forever 21 (personal favourites) the shopping district is ideal for those looking to spend some dollar. There is also so much culture in San Francisco,  and you instantly feel chilled no matter what part of the city you are in. With the quirky street cafes and British vibes it is the most perfect city for anyone wanting a piece of home from home (with better weather). A few tourist attractions in San Fran that I would recommend seeing is Lombard Street which is well known for it's curvy road pattern, and the Coit Tower, where once you are at the top you have some of the best views of this remarkable city. A tour of Alcatraz is also a must do, we went during the day but apparently the night tour is really exciting (you do have to book in advance though). We did a drive over the Golden Gate bridge and went to a viewing platform just over the bridge to get some photos but I would (if I were to go back) ride a bike over it, as it looked so much fun. Here are a few pictures from our trip and a few prices for things if you are interested.

 (From top left: Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, Sea Lions at Pier 39, Lombard Street with the Coit Tower in the background)

Flights: Around £1,225-£2000 depending where in the UK you are from and if you travel tomorrow.
Tour of Alcatraz: Around $30-37 for an adult, also depends on time of day and date.
Cable car rides: Its about $5 for a one way trip or you can buy a one day passport for $13

2. Barcelona
If America is a little out of your budget (for a student like me it really is) a holiday destination I have loved, thats a little closer to home, is Barcelona. This city is full of culture and fun. I went a few years ago but I recently watched Richard Ayoades Travel man and he re-kindled my love for this great city (Chris Millington also just went there and his Instagram and Snapchat had me in bits). We stayed in Salou which is a short train ride out of the city, but once in the city we did a open bus tour which stopped at the Sagrada Família, Mountain of the Jews, Park Güell and his world famous house Casa Batiló. We also took a stole down La Rambla and were amazed by the street performers. As my dad and brothers are massive football fans we also took a tour of Barcelona's football stadium, Camp Nou. Here are a few pictures from my trip and prices for things if you are interested.

(Left: Sagrada Família, right: Camp Nou. For more images check out Chris Millington's Instagram)

Flights: Around £100-200 depending where you fly from in the UK again this was for tomorrow.
Casa Batiló tour: 21.50 Euros for an adult
Camp Nou Tour: 23 Euros for an adult

3. Istanbul
As I mentioned before I am a fan of Richard Ayoades Travel Man programme (if you haven't seen it All 4 it NOW) on the most recent episode he went to Istanbul. One of my new years resolutions this year is to get out of Europe for a week and what could be more perfect than a destination that spans across europe and Asia? This is definitely a dream destination but the glistening sea and markets made me want to pack my suitcase and get on a plane straight away. Some of the things Richard did were a little high end (like renting a yacht)  but he did show some things you could do if you don't have that much money (like me). Some of these were having traditional turkish coffee at Cafe Life, the Grand Bazaar, and the Hagla Sophia. Give the programme a watch and I can be sure that you will be wanting to join me on the next flight out. A few pictures and prices of things if you are interested.

(Images from Pintrest)

Flights: Around £200-£500 depending on what airport you go to.
For more information check out The Lonely Planet Guide.

A few other places I have been to and fell in love or would love to go are; Chicago, New York, Washington D.C,  Santorini, Anywhere in Italy, and Israel.

(Bottom Images from Pintrest) 

Hope this has all inspired you all to get some plane tickets booked, if not made you feel how I felt when scrolling Instagram. In the mean time I will be making do with the glorious sunshine we have had in the UK. Check out my twitter and Instagram to see what I am getting up to and sneak peaks into future blog posts.

See you Wednesday,

Love Katie x