NYE | Thoughts and Resolutions

Source: Sarah Ackerman, Flickr.

I have been making new year's resolutions for as long as I can remember - eat healthy, do more exercise, get more sleep, help more around the house etc - and this year is no exception. 

My resolution for 2015 is to be more organised. I feel like this encompasses a lot; which is why I chose it. It covers housework, university work, going to bed earlier, meeting friends, writing posts for my blog, attending lectures - just about everything in my life at the moment is centred around having a plan and being organised.

My first semester of uni proved to be a very stressful one, and I found myself falling asleep in the back of lectures and seminars because of the lack of sleep I got on a night due to stress. So to avoid this, I have decided that improving my organisational skills and being more pro-active towards actually getting stuff done will help me find my second semester a lot more fun and a lot less like the bane of my existence.

This year I'm spending NYE with a small group of close friends, which I love because it makes a change from spending it with my family (which is what I had been doing up until last year). I'm looking forward to socialising, drinking and just generally spending time with people that make me happy. 

I love the new year, it makes me feel like anything is possible for the 12 months ahead of me. I always find myself thinking about the range of different twists and turns my life could take in the next year, and that feeling combined with the fact that it is the first few seconds of a brand new year makes me very excited. 

What are your resolutions for 2015? And how are you planning on celebrating the new year?

Christmas away from home

Christmas is strange for me this year as it's the first one where I will have spent the build up to it away from home.

Although I'll be home with my family in time to put up the Christmas tree and decorate the house, and I will have around a week and a half to spend with them before Christmas day, it's still felt a bit odd getting excited about a time that is normally spent with family away from them.

That said, Christmas in Lincoln has still felt special. The town is already pretty enough without lights, but when they decorated the whole of the high street with Christmas ones it just made it look even nicer. 

The flat all really got into the Christmas spirit and decided to buy a tree, decorate the windows with snow spray and put some lights up. I was so proud of the way it turned out, and this weekend we're exchanging Secret Santa presents at the same time as having a lovely Christmas dinner!

Holidays are coming

 Not only that, but at the beginning of this week the 'Holidays are coming' Coca-Cola truck made it's way to Lincoln for the day. My friend and I went down to get a free can of coke and a selfie with the truck itself (however the ones we got are far too uncool to ever grace the fact of the internet).

They also had the Christmas market here (that I was far too cold to take photos of), with stalls selling mulled wine, mince pies and hot chocolate, a choir singing in the background and plenty of places to pick up quirky little stocking-filler presents. 

I also went for a skate on an outdoor ice rink with my course mates, which is the most fun I have ever had whilst feeling completely not in control of my limbs. I've never ice skated outdoors before - I felt like I was in some kind of cliche Christmas film or something!

I think I've realised that although Christmas is always going to be a family-orientated holiday for me, the feeling that Christmas gives is so infectious you can't help but get into the spirit no matter where you are. 

Providing you're with people that love Christmas as much as you do, you can almost guarantee that you'll have an amazing time anywhere.

Why we need the Porn Protest

So today, people have gathered outside of Parliament to sit on one another's faces as a protest against new laws restricting pornography in Britain.

On December 1st, new legislation banned a number of acts from being filmed in British porn, such as caning, spanking, face sitting and, brace yourselves, female ejaculation.

Yep, you heard me. Female ejaculation.

I'm sure you guys don't need me to talk about how damaging this is in our supposedly sexually liberated, gender-equal, 21st Century. But just for fun I'm gonna do it anyway.

Banning acts that put women in a position of power in porn, such as face sitting, as well as making the documentation of female ejaculation illegal while keeping male ejaculation 100% legal, promotes the idea that a woman is only involved in sex to help the man achieve pleasure. 

In short, it creates the idea that a man should use a woman as means to an end.

These new laws instill further into our society the idea that a woman should not have sex for her own enjoyment, implies that any woman who does enjoy sex is vulgar, and insinuates that any behaviour of this kind should not be seen. 

If they don't show females enjoying sex in porn, how is it going to be acceptable for women to enjoy sex in real life?

The ironic thing is that this has been introduced as a way to 'protect' women and young people. But to me, and everyone else currently sitting on each other's face outside of Parliament, all it's seemed to do is oppress female sexuality even further.

And that is why we need the Porn Protest.

You know you're a university student when...

1. You can look back over the past two weeks and pinpoint at least one embarrassing thing you said or did whilst drunk/out with friends/at a party etc.

2. You've had chocolate for breakfast

3. You've slept until mid-afternoon, done nothing until around 9pm and then got in the shower to get ready to go on a night out

4. You've experienced the feeling of complete outrage because you planned your whole afternoon out to finish all your work, and then you realise you need to go food shopping...

5. You try to make food like your parents make back home and it turns out to be a complete mess

6. You've attended a seminar that in no way relates to what your lecture was about

7. You've stayed up until half 4 in the morning trying to meet your deadlines

8. You decide that own-brand ketchup is worth the sacrifice of it actually tasting halfway decent in order to save 50p

9. You've taken a trolley from a supermarket and brought it back to the flat with you to save having to carry your weekly shop

10. You literally don't care who sees you in your pajamas with no make up on anymore 

11. You've sat in the back of a lecture trying and failing to keep your eyes open when all you want to do is sleep

12. You start hand-washing your underwear because you can't justify paying so much money for such a small load

13. You've received the obligatory weekly text off your grandma asking if 'you're sleeping well and eating right and not drinking too much'

14. You see the same people on nights out constantly, but you've never seen them in the light of day and you're almost certain they're actually a vampire

15. You wake up in the morning to find that God exists in the form of half eaten take away from the night before

A ban on the word feminist? It already exists.

I was recently at the pub with some people for a friend's birthday. Half of these people I knew, some of them I didn't and a few of them I had met briefly. Somehow, somewhere along the line, one of my friends mentioned that I was part of the Feminism Society at my university.

The reaction that followed was nothing out of the ordinary for when I mention the fact I'm a feminist. I was immediately questioned as to 'why' I attended by one of the guys who was there.

I replied with my stock answer: 'I find it interesting, I like the debate'.

Although this is the truth; it's only half of it.

I avoid branding myself as a feminist to people who clearly don't understand what the term means because I think it creates unnecessary friction and tension between me and the person who is asking. Generally because, in my own head, I think they'll see me as some kind of bra-burning man-hating misandrist. 

I explained it to myself one day as this: I will call myself a feminist to those who associate the word with being an advocate of equal rights. I will not call myself a feminist to those who associate it with wanting women's rights instead of or over men's.

However what happened when I was at the pub, coupled with Time magazines recent poll where 'feminist' was included in their list of words to ban, has made me think a little differently about this issue.

http://feminist.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/timebannedborder-605x329.png

I am a feminist, yet I know that as soon as I am in a position where people don't understand entirely what that means, I feel like I'm shrinking to at least two sizes smaller.

For some reason, the word that I am proud to brand myself as is also the word that I am weary of branding myself as.

But surely it's completely backwards that, as someone who believes in women's rights, I deny myself the right to talk about this freely?

The word 'feminist' is in some weird place between being socially taboo and almost culturally irrelevant that means people refrain from speaking it out loud. 

There's no point in banning a word that is already banned in so many social situations; already banned in people's minds; already banned as a thing to be proud of - something to shout about loud and clear.

Voters in the Time magazine poll wanted a ban that has already happened.

This ban is widespread and incredibly influential, but it can be lifted.

And the most important way that it can be lifted is by yourself in your own mind. 

If you in any way feel the way I do about calling yourself a feminist, if like me you have banned yourself from stating that you are a believer in equal rights, the best you can do is try to lift that ban.

The next time you find yourself in a situation like I was a few days ago, when a person asks 'are you a feminist?' or 'why are you a feminist?', allow yourself to speak the truth. 

Tell them that you are a feminist because you believe in the equality of the sexes. 

Tell them that you believe that women are entitled to the same amount of pay as men, in the same way that men should be entitled to the same amount of parental leave as women. 

Source: Garry Knight, Flickr.

A great man (or Dumbledore, you know, whatever) once said that 'fear of a name only causes fear of the thing itself'.

If we let ourselves be fearful of the word feminist, and of it's repercussions, all we do is enable the ban on this word to continue.

Using a word that has so many ambiguities and so many concerns regarding exactly what it is will only encourage people to ask questions. And in answering them freely, not holding any of your opinions back, you're helping them to understand exactly what feminism is. 

And this kind of education is exactly what's needed to lift the ban on the word feminist.

It's just a matter of letting people in on the secret that, actually, feminists don't hate men - we'd just quite like to share the world.

Things University Has Taught Me

Exactly two months ago today I moved to university. Living alone for the first time in 18 years was both a massive shock to the system and a massive learning curve, and I feel like I've been here for years but also like the whole thing is still temporary - as if I'm on holiday and next week I'll be going back to my mum and dad.

Although I haven't been here for a huge amount of time I've definitely learned a lot, so here's a succinct list of the 'top ten' things uni life has taught me so far:

1. The importance of time keeping

I cannot stress how helpful this is. There is a reason it's number one on the list.

My tutors mentioned how much time management would help me and others on my course, but I dismissed it because I seem to have this profound ability to ignore information that's actually really useful.

But a few weeks ago (when my first proper deadlines were quickly approaching) I felt like I was being suffocated the amount of work I had to do. Seriously, if you're thinking of going to university/further education, make sure you manage your time effectively. It'll save your life.

2. Don't dismiss supermarkets like Aldi and Lidl

Why buy a cucumber for 49p from Morrisons when you can buy one for 22p from Aldi?

There's literally no difference except for the fact that you're bank balance will be so much better off because of it.

3. Cheaper make-up is a God-send

I freaked out when I realised I was going to be a on £30 a week budget, mainly because I was worried I wouldn't be able to afford the foundation I normally buy. So before going to university, I decided to do a test-run of some cheaper makeup and I was very pleasantly surprised.

Where before I used to spend over £10 on my foundation, I now spend no more than £6 and it does exactly the same (if not better) job.

4. You should always take the time to make your money go further

Buying in bulk when there's an offer on, or investing in a larger box of cereal or something that gives you 50% extra for free is always worth it. Even if you think 'I could never eat that many cornflakes in my entire life' - you should do it, because the chances are you will eat that many cornflakes and you'll be thanking your past self for deciding to splash out a little more money, because it's worth it in the long run.

5. Pre drinking is always a good idea

I'm not going to advocate drinking to excess on this blog, because naturally I would never dream of getting drunk. Ahem.
But one way to make sure you spend less money when you're on a night out, is to have a few drinks before. This minimizes the number of drinks you'll buy yourself whilst out, and also mean you tend to have a better time wherever you go and will be less likely to leave and pay to get into another club or bar.

6. 'Cool' doesn't exist

I thought I would leave the idea of the 'cool' and 'uncool' when I left secondary school at the age of sixteen, but unfortunately the concept of popularity still plagued the college I went to for the next two years of my life.
But I am pleased to tell you all that university finally manages to shake off this concept.

I think it's because the majority of people at university have moved away from home and so everyone is keen to make friends, and because of this people open themselves up to socialising with those that they may have otherwise regarded as 'uncool' or 'too cool' for them.

7. My parents did A LOT

I'm almost ashamed to admit that I never really thought about how much my mum and dad did for me whilst I lived at home. 

Since moving away I've begun to notice that doing work all day, coming home and cooking food, and then cleaning up after yourself constantly (cause nobody else is gonna do it for you) is actually really tiring and time consuming.

8. Unplanned nights are the best

Some of the best nights out I've been on since coming to university are the ones that are organised in the last minute. Sometimes just dropping all sense of responsibility and sensibleness is a really great way to start a night.

9. New jewelry can be used make an outfit different - not new clothes

If you're struggling to make old clothes work in new ways, instead of buying a new top or some new jeans - try purchasing a new necklace or something. It costs so much less than buying a new item of clothing and can genuinely  make an outfit feel new again.

10. Cooking is an art form

Knowing what to cook, planning it out, understanding what flavours go with what and managing not to set the fire alarm at the same time is a feat only few people can manage. 

If you happen to be one of those few, I have major respect for you.

Buntys Tea Room | Tea For Two

Whilst out and about in Lincoln recently, I've been noticing this little cafe tucked into the side of Steep Hill and looking like one of the cutest places in the world. 

After deciding to bite the bullet and go for it (well, as much as one can 'go for it' on a student budget), and I went with a friend to have a cup of tea and slice of cake there one day.

We ordered tea for two, which was very cheap between us, and a slice of peanut butter chocolate cake each - although we probably could have shared that too as they were huge.

The people who served us were lovely, and the traditional English furniture and ornaments mixed with quaint music made it one of the most relaxing environments I've ever been in. 

It's not too far up the hill that it's a trek to get to, but it's still far enough that you feel you deserve a rest after walking all that way. 

I love that it's different from all the places in Lincoln designed for students, while at the same time feeling really classic and cool. It just gives something a little different that I think a lot of cafes often miss out on, and it's gonna be my go-to thirst aider whenever I'm walking up that ridiculous hill again.

An Absence Explained

This blog post has been a long time coming. 

Suddenly disappearing off the face of the earth without a word was definitely not part of my plan for September and October, but the longer I left it the harder it became to get back into blogging.

The reason for my disappearance is because from mid September my life changed quite drastically. I started attending university in Lincoln, which meant moving to a different city, saying goodbye to mum and dad and having to fend for myself like an actual grown-up. 

Because of this, I had to refocus my efforts on becoming comfortable with my new surroundings, as I've been determined from the start that this experience is going to be one I'll remember fondly. 

Luckily it's been amazing so far. I work a lot and my course definitely challenges me, but in a good way. And I love the independence that living alone in a brand new town has given me. I already feel like I've known the friends I've made here for years, and it seems like I've been here for months - but it's only been seven weeks!

Lincoln itself is beautiful, this is a photo I took of the cathedral from the castle wall (please excuse the rather hipster filter - I had a bit of a moment). You can basically see this anywhere you are in Lincoln, as it's right at the top of Steep Hill (the clue is in the name).

Steep Hill is also lovely. And although I can't walk up it without getting out of breath yet, the independent shops and lovely little cafes make it look like something out of a fairytale. 

There is also the Brayford Waterfront, which is full of swans and looks lovely on a night time with all the bars and restaurants lit up around it. You can take boat trips along the water too, if looking at it from the pavement isn't enough for you.

Lincoln is also full of quirky little things like the Sausage Festival that took place last weekend. It was full of food stalls and other bits of entertainment, and although I couldn't eat anything there because I'm a vegetarian, the friendly local atmosphere was enough for me to enjoy myself.

As you can tell from how long this blog post is, I've really fallen in love with Lincoln and I'm so happy I made the decision to come here. I'm at a really exciting time in my life right now - it's almost worth the amount of money it's costing me - and although I did fall out of the blogging routine for a while, I'm determined to use this experience to make my blog better than ever! 

Freedom Festival 2014

Every year in my hometown, Hull, there is a huge free festival put on in the town centre. I've been going to Freedom Festival for as long as I can remember, and it has come a long way since the likes of Peter Andre and JLS were the headliners - it now focuses more on individual talent, both locally, nationally and internationally, and seems to be more of a celebration of original art and creativity than anything else. 

I didn't take many photos at the festival, as I was focused on enjoying it rather than documenting it. However I did manage to get a few pictures of the colour parade that they had on the Sunday. In my opinion, it was the best part of the weekend; everything was made out of unused objects, for example old trolleys and bicycle wheels, and it was so lively and vibrant that I don't think there was anybody not enjoying themselves.

At the end of the parade, they threw powder paint all over each other, which was a great way to end it - although I am thankful I wasn't stood close enough to get any paint on me!

I really love this festival, as the town I'm from has acquired itself quite a negative reputation over the last decade or so, but when I see things like this happening free of charge, doing so well and attracting so many people from all over, it makes me really proud to be where I'm from.

August favourites!

I am actually having trouble comprehending that it's September already - this summer has gone so fast I feel as if I've barely had time to take note of all the things I've done! I've been that oblivious to the changing months that I only realised yesterday I needed to do my August favourites post (so much for my organisational skills), so here are the few things I kept coming back to last month.

I bought this backpack from Boohoo at the beginning of the month and I haven't gone anywhere without it since. It has replaced my satchel as my everyday bag, but what I love about it is that the straps are detachable - so I'm also able to wear it as a regular handbag slung over my arm for when I'm wearing a slightly more sophisticated outfit and the backpack doesn't really match, or if I'm going out for a meal or to a more 'dressy' event. 

I've been loving making notes of things during August - it's really allowed me to keep my head clear and means I can tick tasks off when I've completed them (the ultimate satisfaction). I picked this notepad up in Tesco for £1.50 a few weeks ago, not because I needed it (I have WAY too many unused notepads) but because I thought the front of it was adorable. I use this for whenever I need to jot things down, or if I wake up in the middle of the night with a random thought or idea.

The book I loved most during August was Caitlin Moran's 'Moranthology'. I absolutely adored Caitlin's Moran's writing, and I recently tweeted saying that I wished I could be as silly but still get taken as seriously as her - and this book has confirmed this as still being one of my life goals. It's a collection of all the articles she has written over the years, which makes it great to dip in and out of whenever you want, and also means if you leave it for a while you don't need to go back to the beginning to remember what's happened (something I constantly find myself guilty of).

I featured this shirt from Primark in a OOTD post around a week ago, along with the aforementioned backpack, but it would be totally wrong not to feature it again in this post, as I honestly think I haven't gone two or three days without wearing this shirt. It's so versatile, perfect for the kind of weather we're experiencing here now in England, and, probably most importantly, it makes me feel really cool when I wear it. That might sound lame, but it gives me that really confident feeling of knowing that I've done right with my fashion choice for that day.

The Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water has been everywhere recently - and I'm not ashamed to say I have also jumped on the bandwagon. It's soft and gentle on my skin whilst still removing all of my makeup, it doesn't smell of anything which is great as I often worry about using perfumed things on my face, and feels really fresh when I use it. It claims to have around 200 uses in every bottle, and whilst I don't think it will last me as long as that; the amount you get for only £4.99 (£3.99 at Boots if it's still on offer) makes it an absolute bargain and probably the best beauty decision I made during August.

Feeling better

Source: Kelly Schott, Flickr.

Since leaving college a few months ago, I've had a lot of free time. I've tried to keep as occupied as I can, but there are days when I either don't feel like doing anything, or there isn't anything to do, and I find myself sitting down and thinking. 

Sometimes I think about all sorts of good things - like how excited I am for autumn, or the fact that The Great British Bake Off is now back on telly. But there are times when my thoughts are plagued with a negativity that I can't seem to get away from, and I'm left feeling down-and-out about life in general.

However, as someone who hates dwelling on bad thoughts, there are a few things I do in an attempt at feeling better. And seeing as though I hate letting a bad situation get the better of me, I decided to turn this into a (hopefully) helpful blog post!

Write:

Whether it's a stream of consciousness, a novel, a list, putting something in your calender or diary, having to concentrate on something aside from the source of negative feelings will allow you the escapism that comes with watching TV/videos of people falling over, but what's different is that at the end you'll have actually accomplished something you can physically see - rather than just vegging out on the sofa, which always leaves me feeling like I've wasted the day. If you're stuck on what to write, these questions are a God-send.

Go for a walk:

Getting out into the fresh air and methodically putting one foot in front of the other helps to clear your head, and often lets me get to the root of the problem inside my own head, which then means I can return home feeling refreshed, proactive and totally ready to do something productive. 

Sing:

If you honestly don't feel like doing anything remotely productive, or energy/time consuming, just put your iPod on and belt it out until your throat feels like it's going to cave in. I find MCR's 'Teenagers' helps to release any feelings of anguish/frustration that I might be having.

Remember the last thing you laughed about:

Really think about it; laugh again.

Remember that you are an integral part of the universe becoming conscious of itself, and that is an amazing thing:

Unless you are subject to existential crises, then maybe think about how we all die eventually, so nothing really matters (see The Outsider by Camus for details).

Think about how someone, somewhere, will either be living with or getting a stupid tattoo:

Possibly one about having 'no regrets' that they will later grow to regret - the sheer irony of it is enough to make anyone feel better.

Make a really good sandwich:

Put everything you love that could possibly go in a sandwich between two slices of bread, cover with a sauce of your choosing and eat, eat, eat. It may be a disaster, but it could also be the best thing you've ever invented, in which case you've got your new go-to snack whenever you've got the munchies. 

OOTD | 26.08.14

Yesterday I went to drop my uniform off at work as I've now quit my job there (Dobby is freeee), and then went over to my friend's house for a bit of catch up. I decided to wear this thin patterned shirt from Primark that I bought around a month ago, with some leggings and a black cami top. 

I teamed it with this tan backpack that I bought from Boohoo, which I am IN LOVE with by the way, and a really cool snake ring that I also bought from Primark a few weeks ago.

I thought this outfit really suited the end of summer now that the weather's getting cooler and I'm needing to cover up a bit more, yet it still made me feel a little bit festival-ish. Although maybe that was a subconscious fashion choice considering how much I wish I'd been at Leeds Fest this weekend...

Wonder | Review

I picked this book up on a complete whim in Tesco's 'best sellers' selection before I went on holiday, read the first page in the shop, and decided straight away that it was going to be, if you excuse the pun, wonderful. 

Written by R.J Palacio, 'Wonder' is a story concerning different children's perspectives on a boy named August, who has a severe facial deformity. Although August himself will not describe in detail what he looks like, the part of the book from his sister's point of view allows the reader to understand that it isn't as simple as having a cleft lip, or an under-developed nose - it's a very unique deformity that causes a lot of double-takes and whispers behind his back.

August is aware of this, yet when his parents suggest it to him, he decides to take the plunge and go to school. The book then follows as as he is subject to awful bullying, stares, whispers and his classmates acting as if he has some kind of infectious disease, as well as Augusts' own paranoia that the only reason a few people speak to him is because they've been asked to by the principal.

What makes this book really special is that the author has chosen children's narrative viewpoints rather than adults; which makes it far more honest, abrupt and painful in its exploration of the way 'differences' are looked upon and treated, as adults would be way too PC about it to be able to talk about this kind of thing openly.

Palacio does amazingly well to key the book's narrative style into the way that children think, speak and act, as well as depicting a totally accurate picture of the way schools work. Because although the book does focus on the specific issue of Augusts' deformity, it's also worked into the universal problem of the social hierarchy that establish themselves within schools. It discusses the way that popularity and cliques work in our lives in a very subtle but also very overt way, which makes it one of the most intuitive things surrounding this kind of topic that I have read in a very long while.

If you're anything like me (i.e. over-emotional), you'll be in floods of happy tears by the end of it. Because, despite its dark subject matter, this book is nothing but a positive reinforcement about the goodness of humankind. 

Recent favourites!

For some reason when it came to my July favourites this year I couldn't think of enough items or products to list to make up a proper 'favourites' blog post, and so I decided to skip it - but through the past week of August, I have noticed that I've recently been wearing the same few things, so I decided to do a blog post containing them all!

Printed skort - £7 from Primark

Denim Levis - £10 from a vintage shop

I purchased both these pairs of shorts (or one pair of shorts and one skort, if you're being pedantic) just before I went on holiday this year, and although I only wore them once on holiday because I had a whole load of outfits planned for them, now that I've got back I'm finding myself reaching for these in my wardrobe again and again.

Set of three rings - £2.50 from Primark

Necklace - £3 from Primark

Hat - £7 from Primark.

A different angle so you can see the hat better -

it looks like a big black blob on the above picture

As you can see I had a bit of an accessories splurge in Primark, but I just couldn't resist picking all these things up. I've wanted one of these bowler-ish hats for ages but could never find one cheap enough, and I could never justify spending more than £10 on a hat! And the necklace and rings just caught my eye as I'm finding my current jewelry a bit boring at the moment, so I picked these up as a way to make my outfits feel more special even when I'm wearing old clothes.

Oxford | Day Trippin'

Whilst on holiday in the south of England this year my family and I decided to take a day trip to Oxford, somewhere I have wanted to go for ages just to have a look round the Bodleian Library (which was AMAZING but I wasn't allowed to take any photos). 

I absolutely fell in love with Oxford, it's so lovely and old fashioned at the same time as having a proper city centre vibe to it. We had a look round Christ Church (one of the colleges that belongs to the university), and it was so traditionally English and picturesque, as well as the Museum of the History of Science, which was really interesting even though I'm awful at scientific subjects - they had the camera that Lewis Carroll used to photograph Alice Liddell who was the inspiration for Alice in Wonderland. 

The weather was lovely too, which made the day even better, despite the bus journey back to our car being one of the most uncomfortably sweaty experiences of my entire life (not that there have been many). Although I did spend most of my day there being a proper tourist by taking lots of photos, I did manage to actually look at Oxford with my eyes rather than through a camera lens whilst I was there and found it to be just as lovely and 'proper' as I expected it to be.

Oxford in the sunshine

I know what you're thinking, why on earth has she taken a random photo of a staircase?BUT this is actually the staircase on which Harry meets Professor McGonagall for the first time in Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone! 

I decided when I was at Christ Church that I was going to attend Oxford rather than Lincoln, I figure it's pretty easy to get into...

One of the many lovely buildings in Christ Church
I can't get over how pretty the whole building is 

I managed to capture a random boy adjusting his bowler hat in the courtyard - it's all so British it makes me want to cry.