OUTFIT OF THE DAY - LA SPERANZA ITALIANA

Oy, I'm nervous about this! Yesterday my cousin Cassie and I went out for sophisticated drinks and highbrow conversation so I decided to don a new outfit - entirely new! I have been hunting for a midi skirt for some time now, since Forever 21 sold out of their black version, I came across this navy blue beauty in Primark for just £12! I was a little wary about it as although I am in L.O.V.E, it's like nothing I have ever owned, but after a mojito or two, I felt like whizzing around the Colosseum on the back of a Vespa circa 1952! 

Just doing a spot of gardening.

I chose the t-shirt I did (also from Primarni) not only to relax the look of the outfit, but I just adored the colour, it's a berry-ish purple and the loose fit and soft material means I can wear it with a midi skirt, or jeans or anything in between and Primarni Loughborough has a fab selection of cool shades - at £4 I could have bought out the whole lot!

There she is, casually posing amongst the foliage.

As for accessories, I went with a neutral sandal, also from...you guessed it, Primark! They're a sort of "geek" style sandal, and just so versatile to jazz up a pair of jeans or add interest to an outfit, rather than a usual flip flop or ballet flat. I also wore my most favourite statement necklace that I bought out in New Look when I lived in France. It's detailed enough to be worn at night, but not too garish that it can't work in the day either. I went for a ponytail for my hair, and a swipe of liquid eyeliner and Jemma Kidd lip crayon in a berry shade to pull it all together. I loved wearing this outfit, and think midi skirts are the way forward! What do you think?

There we are, la speranza Italiana, the Italian Hope. Share feedback on this look below, grazie!

Cheerio,

Hope x

BOOK CLUB WEDNESDAY - THE GIRL WHO SAVED THE KING OF SWEDEN

"Hej!" as they would say in Sweden, which is incidentally not only my spiritual home but the setting of this month's book club book - The Girl who Saved the King of Sweden! Oh ja, here at The Cereal Diaries, we love a good book, and so in honour of the fact that books are the greatest thing ever, I have decided to open Book Club Wednesday! Each month I'll be reading a new book that I haven't read before, it might be good, might be bad, might be sad, thrilling and oh me oh my - might be all those things! Each Wednesday I'll do a summary of what I've read so far, filling you in on my thoughts and theories on the book, before finally summing up my grand ol' opinion in a few weeks time!

 So why did I pick The Girl who Saved the King of Sweden? Well several reasons really. As I have mentioned, Sweden is my spiritual home, despite never having been, I think I'd fit in just sublimely. Secondly, my mother, the impeccably cool GS as she shall be known on The Cereal Diaries has read this book, could not put it down and insisted I give it a whack too. And finally, from reading the blurb, the author, Jonas Jonasson sounds like he's a bit of a good bloke, the book has several great reviews and seems like a nice read to ease me into Book Club Wednesdays. I also love the top line of the blurb - "Just because the world ignores you doesn't mean you can't save it."
What can I say, I'm a sucker for an inspirational quote! So let's be going shall we? Join me on my bookish quest across to Sweden as we discover more about the girl who saved their king.
Cheerio,
Hope x

TAG YOU'RE IT TUESDAY - GET TO KNOW ME

Tuesday here at TCD means only one thing! Well, maybe more because there's an outfit of the day post coming later, but still! Tag, you're it Tuesday! I've not been "tagged" per se just yet, but I thought since this is the start and general launch of The Cereal Diaries that I'd go ahead and use a tag so we can all learn some more about me, my weird habits and there's a question on cereal which I think is quite fitting. Let's go, shall we?

1. ARE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? 
Ah yes, yes I am. I discovered not so long ago that I was named after a TV character from a show called Thirtysomething, and the lady who played "Hope" I have also just now discovered has amazing cheekbones, that sadly I do not.

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
Last night, I watched Ghost with my mum for the first time, and I lost it, which obviously I announced to the whole room. 

3. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
No. No. No.

4. IF YOU WERE SOMEONE ELSE, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH WHO YOU ARE NOW?
I would like to think so, I'm loyal and thoughtful and to be honest could never be a bad person, I'm clueless on how to be. And I have a terrific collection of Dad jokes.

5. ARE YOU SARCASTIC?
Yes. Oh, am I being sarcastic or truthful?

6. WOULD YOU EVER BUNGEE JUMP?
When they invent jumpsuits that are flattering, then I will bungee jump. 

7. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE CEREAL?
I don't end every post with "Cheerio" for nothing!

8. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE IN SOMEONE?
Their eyes. Not just the colour or anything, but you can tell so much about someone from how they look at you.

9. WHAT COLOUR ARE YOUR EYES?
Very blue. Not bright, but stormy blue. 

10. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? 
Happy endings, jeez what kind of monster do you think I am? Though actually I was repeatedly told the ending of Ghost was meant to be happy, but he was still a ghost and Demi Moore was still in mourning so I'm not sure how.

11. FAVOURITE SMELLS?
Lavender, vanilla, Chanel Chance, the sea, Soap and Glory Righteous Butter, strawberries, petrol, old books, fresh bread, Marc Jacobs Daisy, hydrangeas, the smell of my house even though it's not of anything in particular, but when you've been away and forget it, the second you step inside you go "ahhhh" and you know you're home because it smells of home. I think my mum uses scent diffusers.

12. SUMMER OR WINTER?
Winter, hands down. I'm pale, clumsy and bruised and have more jumpers than one cares to imagine, I think I was made for winter. Also when you've spent six months in Strasbourg during the winter, nothing compares.

13. COMPUTER OR TV?
Computer, because you can watch TV on it. Clever cookie, aren't I?

14. FURTHEST YOU'VE BEEN FROM HOME?
Ibiza, I believe is the furthest in distance. I was 8, and even now 12 years later, that holiday remains one of the greatest memories of all time. 

15. DO YOU HAVE ANY SPECIAL TALENTS?
What I consider "talent" greatly varies from what the rest of the world considers talent, but I am one badass rapper. I can also twist my arm and wrist a full 360 degrees

16. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
I was brought into this world in Leicester Royal Infirmary. 

17. WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES?
I like watching films with foreign subtitles, writing, reading, fashion, Pinterest, music, Instagram, working on my rapping. 

18. DO YOU HAVE PETS?
You bet your bottom dollar I've got an Irish Setter named Daisy.

19. FAVOURITE MOVIE?
Of all time, The Breakfast Club. Followed by Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Blues Brothers, The Royal Tenenbaums, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Pulp Fiction, The Grand Budapest Hotel, A Hard Day's Night.

20. DO YOU HAVE ANY SIBLINGS?
I do! I'm the eldest of four, I have two brothers and a sister. It's as chaotic as it sounds.

21. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
"they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.”" - John Lennon.

And in a nutshell, that's a bit of basic information about yours truly. Expect more next week, and more posts until then!
Cheerio,
Hope x

Motivational Monday

I have always thought it was quite important to have ambition. I have never understood people who do not dream. In fact, I think we all have ambitions, but there's a fear of failure, or the opinions of others that keep us from reaching for our dreams. In an ideal world, there'd be no fear of failure, no worrying about what people might say about what we want, and there'd be a freedom to just live out our ambitions. No matter how small, how silly, how massive and ridiculous, everyone has goals for themselves, ways in which they'd like their life to be, or things they'd like to do, not just for ourselves but for others. I have ambitions for my friends, family, hell I see people on the street and have ambitions for them. I think we should all be more open with our dreams and goals. We shouldn't worry about failure, because at the risk of sounding hideously cliché, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. And goodness knows what failure might bring - a new perspective, a new dream, a new ambition. Why would we worry what people think? I'm going to share some of my own silly, big, small and possibly ridiculous ambitions in the hope that maybe you, yes you reading this, may be motivated to share yours too, and go for it.

I want to see sunrise in another continent.
I want to do a Pinterest DIY and actually succeed
I want to see Kate Bush in concert and dance to Wuthering Heights
I want to be the person that Bruce Springsteen picks out of the audience to dance with him during Dancing in the Dark
I want to open a pancake café and serve pancakes on mismatched china plates

I want to be the cool tambourine player in an all girl indie britpop band
I want to have an article I've written published

Hell, I want a thousand articles I've written published.
I want to be in The Guardian, but not for a crime or anything
I want more followers on Twitter
I want to write my autobiography and include the story of the one month I worked in Oxfam
I want to learn to surf
I want to own a florist in the hope it will conquer my hay fever

I want to learn how to make my own soup.

I want to have something I've written published abroad.

There we go, some of my madcap ideas and aspirations I hold for myself. These of course do not include the wish for about a billion pugs and cats, a house in Chelsea and maybe a statue built in my honour. My dreams have changed since I was little and wanted to be a nun, an architect and a DJ - not all at once - but I like to think I was always true to them and was always totally unapologetic about them all. Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions - Mark Twain.

Cheerio,

Hope x

RULE BRITANNIA: THE BRITISH TAG

So I have seen my Canadian doppelgänger Essiebutton  do this tag I think created by Beautycrush on Youtube. I am of course too awkward to put my fairly circular face in front of a camera just yet, so thought I'd do it via my new blogging home so we can all learn some tidbits about myself. Tidbits, that's a nice word, don't we agree?

1. How many cups of tea do you have a day? + How many sugars?

I think I'm fairly average when it comes to tea consumption, because off my own back, I'll have about two a day. However, if you're having one, it'd be rude of me to decline. My tea order is a bit weird, so I know you're a good egg if you remember I like it with one sugar and the teabag left in please, guv'nor.
2. Favourite part of your roast

YORKSHIRE PUDDING. Why anyone would say anything but a Yorkshire pudding I do not know. 
3. Favourite dunking biscuit

This is where things take a trip for the Australasian. If you're Aussie or Kiwi - my mum's from Perth - you'll know what ANZAC biscuits are. For those of you yet to be enlightened, they're like Hobnobs with coconut and golden syrup and absolutely the most delicious biscuits you will ever find. Ever. Maybe I'll do a blog post about them.
4. Favourite quintessentially British pastime?

Complaining. Tutting. Sarcasm. Cynicism. I'm also partial to a bit of baking, I am a huge GBBO fan.
5. Favourite word?

Of all time, it's probably "ludicrous", but if we're going British, I must say "BLOODY HELL" about six times an hour.
6. Cockney rhyme slang?

I can't say I'm too partial to Cockney rhyming slang, I like northern slang instead, such as "let's have a deeks" for "let's have a look" but I do love the word GUV'NOR
7. Favourite sweet

Oh mama, flying saucer sweets. The sugar paper ones filled with sherbet. They always hit the spot. 
8. What would your pub be called?

The Hope and Anchor, quite obviously.
9. No.1 British person

Ah jeez this is a hard one. It'd be rude not to say my mum, I suppose, but if we're going non-familia, I honestly think John Barrowman is my hero.
10. Favourite shop / restaurant

Maybe it's the quintessential Brit in me, but if we're going to say chains, I love a bit of John Lewis. I just love furnishings, what can I say? Or a record store, me oh my, I could spend hours in record stores. 
11. What british song pops into your head?

IIIIII'M A LUMBERJACK AND I'M OK, I SLEEP ALL NIGHT AND I WORK ALL DAY. 
12. Marmite.

Ooh, yes please.

And there's my Britishness! Now we've done that. let's get on with some Cereal Diaries shall we?
Cheerio,

Hope x

Hi, I'm Troy McClure, You Might Remember Me...

Oh hey! It's that time again when I start writing things, weird anecdotes about my life, funny stories, maybe a review about books and such, and things I like if it all goes well. Whoa, pony that's exciting. Also, in case you're wondering, I really like cereal. So The Cereal Diaries are a collection of goings on in and around my life and times, like a cereal itself. Wish me luck.
Cheerio,
Hope x