Hello, welcome back.
I haven't posted in about...two months?
Which is so long but I am back, however, this post will be short and sweet.
The other day, I was on Twitter and I saw a trending tweet which said '98 days till Jan 1st, what have you achieved this year?'



And it which made me think...

What have I really achieved this year?
So let's break it down.

On the 5th of February, I handed in my 8,000-word dissertation, which I spent months slaving over.
On the 13th of June, I found out I had received a first in both my dissertation and Final Major Project, which means I finished my three long years of university with a 1st class degree.

And on the 25th of June, I graduated.

Another one of my favourite photos from August is this photo of me and one of my many dogs. If you haven't read my post about my dogs, it will be here. But for those of you that don't know, I have four beautiful dogs! And this is Whistle. 

 ~26th August 2019~

  ~26th August 2019~

  ~26th August 2019~

Thank you so much for reading another one of my posts. I have become a little busy over the past few weeks and so my writing has slowed down a bit. But I am going to try and post two times a week starting Monday.
Thank you again for all your love and support - it is truly appreciated.

As many of you may know, I have recently moved house! I left the quiet streets of sleepy Farnham and traded up. I have moved to bustling Brighton, where there truly is never a dull moment. Let me explain my living situation a little. I live with my boyfriend in a two-bedroom flat in the heart of the high street. We have already found our favourite wine shop and established that there is a really good pizza place a couple of doors down. Originally, when I started my 'Moving and Improving' series, my plan was to move in with my best friend. Unfortunately, life got in the way and we couldn't make it work. However, our plan hasn't changed too much as she will hopefully be packing and moving next year. 

Before I show you my lovely new living room, I want to issue a few thank-yous. 

Firstly, thank you to my parents who dragged all my stuff from my home-town to here (a 3-hour drive nonetheless). Secondly, thank you to my boyfriend who has to put things in high places that I can't reach, carry stuff up heavy stairs and deal with me decorating our new little home. Thirdly, thank you to Perch and Parrow who gave us our lovely sofa. 

My boyfriend and I were having a conversation about sofas the other day. He was talking about when he lived with his parents and the sofa was just always...there. And when moved into his student house, a sofa was included. We spent over a month without a sofa, hunting for the right one that would fit our space and our comfort needs. What I am saying is - a sofa is a privilege you don't usually think about.  Most houses have them or come with them when you rent but as soon as you have an unfurnished property, you figure out you truly can't live without one. So I want to say a massive thank-you to Perch and Parrow who were kind enough to gift us a sofa. 

So the sofa you see pictured is huge. I found it difficult to fit all its beauty in one lense. However, their website is linked throughout and I will make sure to link it again at the end of this post. This is the Arun Three-Seater Chaise Sofa in the colour Sea Salt. Perch and Parrow make bespoke furniture in a selection of colours and fabrics.

Next to my new sofa from Perch and Parrow is my coffee table. A little while ago, I wrote a post titled One Small Step into Adulthood where I spoke about a table I purchased from the charity shop. The table was the first proper adult item I had bought and having it all made up in my new house, really does remind me that I am a full-grown human now. 

On this table, I have a few items. Firstly is my chess board from my Dad, which he got me as a graduation present. Then I have a few of my older books (a common theme in my new flat), like Grimm's fairytales and Longfellow. As well as a faux cactus and a few candles.

Across the room is my fireplace. This fireplace is not useable, it has been built up so we cannot light fires in it. However, I have covered the grate in candles so at least we can pretend there is a fire there. On top of it, I have put a photo of me and my boyfriend, a few more books (see, I told you it was an ongoing theme), including my signed copy of Autumn by Ali Smith and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. My candle from Newshome Candles has also found its home on my fireplace as well as some more faux cacti. Stuck on my mirror is a quote from the one and only Dolly Parton and also, a polaroid of my dogs. And finally, there is my glass jar with a few wine corks in it. My boyfriend and I plan to fill this jar up with more corks but we always end up drinking cheap wine. 

 Above my sofa is a shelf, which frankly, is way too high for me to reach. So I spend the majority of time asking my boyfriend to move things around for me. On this shelf is a plethora of items which I have collected throughout a few years. As I have so many books, I went for a yellow, orange, brown and white colour pallete here as I thought it matched the majority of the other items.

My newest addition is Sedrick, my ivy plant. When I first moved into my new home, my boyfriend had already been living there for a month. He told me he was going to buy me flowers as a moving in present but instead, he surprised me with a massive ivy plant which we later decided to call Sedrick. Sedrick is currently alive and healthy, let's hope he stays that way!

Next up is my buddha head. He is made from solid stone and is extremely heavy. Again, I have an array of books, which I have already mentioned. A few of my notable favourites on this shelf are - Angela Carter's Fairly tales, Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult and Nutshell by Ian McEwan. And for all the readers who have been keeping a close eye on my collection of books, yes that is my second copy of Grimm's fairytales. The first was on the coffee table and no, these are definitely not my only two copies. 

Now, probably one of the most interesting items in my flat is this teapot. I picked up this teapot from a really random charity shop in my hometown when I was 13 or 14 (just for reference, I am now 21 years old) and it has been with ever since. I don't know what drew me to this teapot. It could have been the intricate design or the fascinating colour palette. It could have been the fact that it says 'Made in Japan' on the bottom and was definitely brought over by a person, not by a company. Or and probably, the most likely, it could be because it reminded me of Mulan, my favourite film in the world. Anyway, I love it and it looks amazing alongside all my other items. 

Next to my mysterious teapot is me and my boyfriend's graduation photos. We are now deeply in debut and have wrinkles made from pure stress but it's a nice reminder of how we got here. We are now both happily living together, in a wonderful area, both working in our respective fields.  

And finally is my funky highland Cow picture which was a gift from my now ex-housemate. His vibrant orangey and yellow shades fit perfectly with my  colour palette. 

Thank you so much for reading this post and thank you BuyWholeFoodsOnline for gifting me some goodies!

* * * * * * * * * *

As my university experience has officially wrapped up and I am packing the last of my belongings into my suitcase, I have really been thinking about what it means to be in higher education. Yes, it makes you more employable and yes, it makes you more qualified in your field. But really, what is university culture?


(Side-note: all the pictures of this post might seem random but they are actually photos of my lovely town in which I went to university)


There Are No '5-Minute Catch Ups'

There is no popping into your friend's room to see how they are. There is no quick chat whilst you make dinner. There is no going down to the pub for one drink only. I don't think a 5-minute conversation has ever occurred the whole time I have lived with my best friends - I always end up staying a few hours. 

 You Won't Remember What's Yours Anyway

When you first move into your 'spacious' university room, you want to make it nice and when you move out halls and into your student house with your friends, again, you want to make it nice. You buy all new plates, bowls, cutlery and mugs. You put up cute pictures and maybe, a couple of fairy lights. But I'll let you into a secret- No one remembers what's theirs when it comes to moving out.
Nobody remembers which plates they own and everybody thinks that one 'perfect' spoon is theirs. Your kitchen will be left with a couple of items which everyone swears they did not bring into the house and will probably end up being donated to the charity shop anyway. 

First-year doesn't count

I don't know if this is just England, but for us, the first year doesn't count. You simply need to pass it to get into the second year. So that means that a lot of lectures are attended half-heartedly. Usually, you turn up without a pen to take notes, still drunk from the night before or late because you just had to get a coffee prior to the lesson.


Your Planners and Diaries

Leading on from that, you will not, repeat, will not use a diary of a planner in the first year. Yes, I did the same. I bought a cute diary and covered it in cute pictures. I bought a plethora of coloured pens and highlighters. I got way too many notebooks and sticky notes and do you know what, I have finished university now and I still have the majority of them - unwritten in and unused.


Weird Habits 

I think developing weird habits is probably one of the most relatable things that happens whilst you are at university. However, your friends or housemates also pick up these habits and it isn't until you go back to your hometown that you realise that these new behaviours are actually quite strange.
It is not normal to nap at 11am or to make pancakes at midnight, that is unless you are at university. 



Your Milk & Bread

There is no milk or your bread, its everyone's milk and bread. Yes, someone will use the last of it and no, no-one will confess. But don't worry, that's what your loan is for - milk and bread.

Carry your university ID

You could go to your university every single day, attend every lecture and know every lecturer's name and life story. But somehow, the university guards will still need to see your ID and if you don't have it, you won't be allowed into the building you are spending nine grand a year on, just to attend.

Rent & The Library

Your student rent is extortionate but don't worry, you don't spend anytime there anyway. You live in the library.


All in all, going to university was the best decision I have ever made and it has been an honour to live in this beautiful town.
One final truth about University culture - All the friends you make, will be your friends for life.

Thank you for reading this post!