Everything Happens At Once

I thought that I would do a little post just to say that I might not do a post of a little bit.
Over the past few week both my grandfathers have fallen ill, and the one that I am closest to is really not doing well and might only have a few weeks left.
I am not going to stop living, as I think that that would be the worst thing to do, and would also be defining Grandpa, which is not something anyone wants to do!
I also don't really intend to stop my weekly blog update, but I wanted you all to know if I do.

Its curious that everything happens all at the same time. At the moment, life for me can be thought of as buses: nothing comes for ages, and then they all come at once.
All in my final year at uni.
Who ever said life was boring?

Crash

Last week I crashed.

I have been doing so much recently, that my body (and maybe my brain) decided that it had had enough.

I could have been thought of as being good and bad timing. Good timing as O and H weren't there and so it was only P that would have noticed, which he didn't. Bad timing as they weren't there so I was supposed to be doing uni work... So I now have a horrendous amount to do, still.

Tuesday was good though, threw a little supper party for some of the girlies, which then turned into me going out in my slippers... such a mistake!

The rest of the week was me trying to do something with my time, like meeting my friends new baby (made me so broody!) and doing some baking. The rest of the time I was just sleeping.

I dont know how, but even after a weekend of being force fed at my dads and not doing anything except picking wild blackberries (which is one of my favourite past times), I am still totally exhausted!

Thank God I have got this week that I'm going down to sunny(?) Devon to relax and do ALL my work that I have been putting off since I got back up North..

This week I have to write about 4000 words or so... no pressure!

Actually, it should be perfectly manageable if I don't get distracted by the amazing scenery or the telly..

I've also got an important decision to make over the next few days.. I'm in 2 minds about what I want to do, but I think I know what I have to do inorder to know. (If that makes any sense......!)

I am going to stop now, as I feel that how tired I am is coming across in this rambling mess...!

I'll give you a better update in a few days with hopefully a few pretty pictures to go with it!

Want you all to know though that this crash hasn't made me any less happy, still having the time of my life atm, even though I'm not at uni for the week, but I'm just starting to  realise that there is something missing..

Work, Work, PLAY

So I thought I would share with you some of my recent baking (this weeks...):

Millionnaires Shortbread

Iced Buns

Swiss Roll (using my dad's homemade gooseberry and elderflower jam)

English Muffins

What do you think?

This coming week is looking pretty busy, yet again.
I want to complete one of my essays (which I failed at writing today) before I go away at the end of the week, but I have a feeling it that it is going be more difficult than I previously thought.
I know that work is going to want me in quite a bit over the week, even though nothing is set in stone yet. So I will have to fit in library time in around those hours, my lectures and the gym.
This week is also proving to be quite a social one as well...
I'm seeing my pregnant friend tomorrow evening, which I am so excited about!
Tuesday, however, is a whole different ball game. I'm going to drinks from 6-7pm, then having some of the girlies over for supper (pudding is being tested for GBOF), and then we are are having a Morocco night out, which is bound to be a bigg'n.
Means that Wednesday morning will be a total write off in terms of... anything really!
Nothing in the books YET for Thursday, other than the usual, but I might see if my friend from home is around, and I leave on Friday morning..
Ah well.. at least I'm not going to be bored, eh?
Missing the guys though.. its just so quiet without them!
Going round to the girls tonight to watch Homeland and giving them the rest of the swiss roll...
There really are not enough hours in the day!!

24 Usable Hours

As you might know, I absolutely love baking.
Tuesday night was the final of this series of Great British Bake Off. I missed due to the fact that it was P's birthday night out (which was such a good night), but I managed to catch up with it yesterday morning.
I don't think the person who one should have done. Even though their performance was really good in the finial, their overall consistency throughout the whole competition was nothing compared to the other two finalists. However, it was a cracking final!
Anyway, after the show they released the application for next year.
I am going to apply.
I have so much that I have to make, well want to make to take pictures of and write about them, and even though there is no closing date as yet, I feel that it might come round quickly.
Therefore, I need to increase the amount of baking I do.
I am already baking once a week or so, which is good, but most of the time it is sticking to the things that I have done before. I need to start baking the unknown and more frequently.
The slight catch is that my days are already quite full, juggling university work, working at the Union, going to the gym, seeing friends, etc., is already a struggle as it is. Not that I don't love it though. Everyday has bought something new and exciting (that isn't even a lie!).
So it seems that I will need to sacrifice something, and the only conceivable option is to sacrifice some sleep. Who needs a lot of sleep anyway? There is far too much living to do anyways, and I'm definitely not giving up my social life or going to the gym.
So I have decided that because I like going the the gym in the mornings and I work best academically during the day, my baking will have to happen after that. But the evenings are very sociable for me (for example, I have a two friends coming round tonight, one at 6.30 and one at 8). So it looks like my baking is going to have to happen from about 9pm onwards. Maybe I should go and collaborate with the midnight bakery!
I'm intending to do something every day, but its the guys reading week is next week and 2 of them are going home, and I dont think the girls are going to eat that much! So most of it will probably go to waste unfortunately.
The week after that is my reading week, and I will be going on my mini 'holiday' (which is going to involve a lot of work on my dissertation), so I wont be able to do much baking, and therefore is cutting the time I have to bake!
OH well, I will do it all! I HAVE to do it all!!

On a different note though, Tuesday night was such a good night out. It was the night that I felt was the confirmation of my acceptance into my house. I know that I have been here a while now, but still, I now know that I have firm friends in all of them.
I think I'm actually going to miss them when they go home next week and I go down to Devon the week after.
However, it will mean that I might be able to get some uni work done.... Silver lining?

A Well Deserved Sofa Day

Another busy week has gone by.
I only had work on Tuesday (it was so cold), but I have actually been doing some uni work!
I had a meeting with my dissertation earlier on in the week, which was a quick catch up with where things are going. She was impressed that I had done all my data collection and that I had set myself an impossible deadline to complete my draft.... After some general questions from me (trying to find out if my dissertation is actually Geography), she told me that my topic is really interesting and could possible contribute to work already published...
HOLD THE PHONE!
I haven't even written it yet! Getting a bit ahead of ourselves aren't we?!
Expectations are obviously very high for my dissertation and I now have to try and deliver a publishable project.. Bring it! (oh God..........)
So this meeting spurred me into action, and I have actually started writing up my dissertation now.
However, one of my other modules for this semester is intense. I think its actually going to be more work than my dissertation, and its only worth half the amount. What have I got myself into?!

This week wasn't all work though. No, no, no.
My flat mate and I went to go and see Taken 2 on Wednesday. It is Liam Neeson just being awesome, again. He wasn't so taken with it, but I really enjoyed it. Do love a good action film.
Last night we went on an impromptu night out. It was probably one of the best night outs I have had in a while. Didn't get too drunk and the 'club' was full of people we knew, which made it even better. H and I were greeted with a very drunk P when we came home. He had no idea when he got home and kept asking me where his socks were.. After O came home with his ex, we stayed up for quite a while trying to play table tennis, but when we eventually went to bed P wanted me to wait for him to make sure he could make it up all the stairs... Ah, I do love my housemates.
Can't wait for Tuesday now. Having a proper celebration for P's birthday that was on Friday. Its going to be a good'n.

So I think I deserve a day on the sofa!
Bring on next week though. Can't wait to see what its got for me!

Soundtrack to my life atm: 'Time of my Life' - 3 Doors Down

Golly Gosh!

Well what a week that was!
On Monday and Tuesday I was working from about 8 in the morning till 5pm, trying to fit in my lecture somewhere in the middle! Fresher Fair was really fun though. I was flyer-ing for pretty much the whole time, and managed to get rid of all of the flyers (pretty chuffed with myself!) The stall we were next to were these group of lads (all from the mens hockey team.....) who were promoting an app they had made for student discounts. They were such a top group and we had a lot of banter going on to get us though. Unfortunately though, due to the new piercing, I couldn't take advantage of the free food that was being handed out..
All in all, it was a lot of fun and even though it was unbelievably tiring, we made it through!
Wednesday turned out to be enormously chilled. I was supposed to be going shopping, but the shops were all a bit too busy for me, so I ended my staying in my pyjamas till about 12 and then going for a wonder before meeting my heavily pregnant friend for a post work coffee. She has had the easiest pregnancy in the world and is looking so radiant. It was lovely to see her and she said that I seemed like a new person.... which I guess I am!
On Thursday we had the dissertation lecture... Basically put it all the work I have to do in perspective... It really wasn't cool. I now have 3 things in for the second week of January and an exam the week after. But it'll be ok.... I hope!
Friday was another 2 hour lecture followed by 2 hours of flyer-ing. What go me though was the knowledge that I was going to see one of my oldest friends that evening.
I have had the most fabulous weekend! Not that we did anything special at all, just a bit of shopping and A LOT of eating (diet starts again tomorrow), but it was just perfect after a manic week and before all the uni work starts again (supposedly). We cooked a roast of 10 people today and it was so much fun as I felt instantly accepted into her group of friends. I will deffo be going down again!
So, the work is supposed to start this week. Not looking forward to it really, but I know it has to be done.
But as my Lenny said to me today 'work hard, play harder'.
I am not going to let the man get me down. I have too much living to do!!