MOTIVATIONAL MONDAY - HAPPY CHAPPY

Do you ever find yourself complaining about your day? A long, horrible, stressful, tiring day, and the first thing that comes out of your mouth when you step through the front door is "UGH, you'll NEVER believe the day I've had!"? Yes, yes you do and if you say you don't, you're lying and I am disappointed.

But think about this. When was the last time you had a fantastic day - you made witty banter to the bus driver, a stranger complimented your shoes and you got the last lemon and poppyseed muffin at Starbucks. And you told someone? When did you open the front door and announce "I HAVE HAD THE BEST BLEEDIN DAY!"

Recently I completed the #100HappyDays challenge on Twitter, finding a silver lining in my day every day for yep, you guessed it 100 days. And it was surprisingly hard! Granted there were days when I was hungover and didn't leave my room, so I struggled a bit there, but I managed it! And even though now I'm not tweeting about the little things every day, I am still finding the good in every day, or I'm trying to. For a little while, I was quite blue and felt like everything was going wrong, so a few months back, I made a list of things that make me happy, make me smile, things I like doing etc. And when I do have a bad day, I've been heckled on a bus, had food stuck in my teeth or lost my headphones, I look aRt it and remember actually the world isn't a bad place. Sharing some of my happy things (I hope) will make you also look on the bright side of life, as the bae Eric Idle would sing. 

Morrissey dancing

Carl Sagan's Cosmos

Pugs.

The "Baby Monkey" video

Good music

Kinder Eggs

Second-hand record stores

twitter.com/BILL_NYE_THO__

Bruce Springsteen

The word "aplomb"

Brighton

Vinyl

Hay-on-Wye

Bookshops 

Jon Snow.

Sloths in pyjamas

Going out for breakfast

Tea loaf

80's/90's hip hop

Hugs

Lush bath bombs

Star Wars

Really the list goes on for about 30 other things but I'll save those for a rainy day. I hope my list of little happy things inspires you to have a little chuckle today about something you find to be happy. And if all else fails, remember you're a Womble and tomorrow will be better. You're a champion. 

Cheerio,

Hope x

THE DANCE PARTY VOLUME 1

I'm really into music. Like really. Granted my taste in music may be totally all over the place and disjointed, but I like to call it "eclectic". So I've decided to compile a little list of jams I've been belting out and listening to recently! There's a bit of a Glasto theme running throughout, I've been having Pilton withdrawal symptoms, but there's some other tunes there that I may or may not have been choreographing routines to in my mirror. Maybe a little. What's the hot gossip, the 411, what's the cool jams? 

1. Out Tonight - RENT
2. Flawless Remix - Beyoncé and Nicki Minaj
3. Way Back When - Kodaline
4. Le Temps de l'Amour - Françoise Hardy
5. Waterloo Sunset - The Kinks
6. My Sweet Lord - George Harrison
7. Sing - Ed Sheeran
8. Ritual Union - Little Dragon
9. Tous les Memes - Stromae
10. Carry You - Bombay Bicycle Club

Look out for The Dance Party Vol. 2 coming soon!
Cheerio,
Hope x

AUGUST FAVOURITES

Hands up who likes a favourites post? I know I do, which is why I thought I'd do my own! Recently I went a little splurge crazy with my wages and what would've been a quiet day reacquainting myself with Nottingham this work ended up being a great day for new purchases but an exhausting exercise for my debit card - though I think it was worth it! I thought I'd share what I bought, minus the fish finger sandwich from Homemade in Nottingham, plus a few other bits and bobs I have been "all about" recently!

1 - The Taming of the Shrew at SSC, Stamford

It's no secret that I love Shakespeare. I listened to Stephen Fry read Macbeth in Hay, I performed monologues from Romeo and Juliet and I can watch 10 Things I Hate About You over and over and never get bored. Which is why when the fam and I took a trip to Tolethorpe Hall in Stamford to see the Taming of the Shrew, one of my all time favourites, made even more excellent by the surroundings of 1950's Italia, I adored it. The Stamford Shakespeare Company put on a few Shakespeare performances every year in an outdoor ampitheatre and I highly recommend you check it out! Or at least pick up a copy of the Taming and acquaint yourself with Katerina, Bianca and Petruchio. 

2 - Rent at The Curve, Leicester

I am a sucker for a musical, more specifically Rent. My cousin and I went and saw the Curve's production a couple of weeks ago and I am still playing Out Tonight 24/7, miming along like I'm Mimi Marquez herself. Watch the movie on Netflix and immediately contact me for Seasons of Love harmony rehearsals.

3 - Françoise Hardy vinyl

My most favourite place in Nottingham is the arcade of vinyl stores. And this week, I am thrilled to announce, I found a Francoise Hardy LP! I love Yé-yé music (60's French pop) and I feel like backcombing my hair to the moon and wearing the smallest of skirts and dancing around a beach like they do to Les Temps de l'Amour on Moonrise Kingdom.

4 - Blackberry bath bomb from Lush

I take a lot of baths, okay? I could happily spend ages in the bath, reading or listening to Spotify (what exactly? Look out for the next post!) and this is my favourite Lush bath bomb! It turns your bath water a misty lilac, smells AMAZEBALLS (ha) and comes with a cute note in the inside! I don't know whether I can wait to use it or if I should save it! I suppose I'll just have to buy more!

5 - How to be a Heroine by Samantha Ellis

I am a bookworm, well and truly a bookworm. So when my mum bought me "How to be a Heroine" - a compilation of literary badass women, I immediately devoured it. Samantha Ellis talks about the women of some amazing books and how they influenced her own life. Amazing reading for anyone. 

6 - Crop top from Topshop

So call me "late to the party" but I needed a crop top to go with my ever-growing collection of midi skirts. This grey number from Topshop goes great with any colour and it's a nice alternative to black, which is my favourite colour. What can I say, I'm branching out on the colour scale!

What are your favourites this month? Anything I should be aware of? Let me know!
Cheerio,

Hope x

BOOK CLUB WEDNESDAY - BOOK 1, CHAPTERS 1-2

"Hallo daar!" Nombeko would say! I've started reading TCD's book of the month, The Girl who Saved the King of Sweden and it's already fantastic. I will be honest, I was a little slow to pick up the book in the first place, it just sat by my bed asking to be read, but I ignored the cries until yesterday when I went on a little jolly to Nottingham and took the book for a spin on the bus. So far I've read the first two chapters and I'm engrossed. The writing is engaging and funny, with short, astute sentences hinting at the fierceness of our heroine, Soweto teenager, Nombeko Mayeki (she thinks). Without giving too much away, because so far I would easily recommend this book to anyone who wanted something to read, chapter one sets the scene for us in Soweto, South Africa and the startling reality that millions of children such as Nombeko face. But that's where she is a different sort of teenager. With the majority of the Soweto population illiterate, Nombeko has the uncanny ability to add, subtract, divide and multiply in her head. Like Roald Dahl's Matilda before her, a girl who in the eyes of those in charge should just be another statistic proves her worth in her amazing abilities, breaking free from the life she was meant to lead - short and unimportant.

Chapter two takes Nombeko out of Soweto and crashing (literally) into the life of a Swedish engineer. It's then that we are transported across the world to my spiritual home of Sweden and introduced to some fairly topsy-turvy characters. Jonas Jonasson writes easily and keeps the reader hooked on his every believable word. I can't wait to read more of this brilliant story and update you on Nombeko's adventure!

What I did yesterday.

MUSICAL ACCOMPANIMENT: Die Antwoord, ABBA, Nkosi Sikelel (South African National Anthem), Du Gamla Du Fria (Swedish National Anthem) 

MOTIVATIONAL MONDAY

Do you ever have those days that make you want to give up? Someone may have lost their temper with you, a man might have cat called you in the street, you could've had food in your teeth or something may have happened to you and as you collapse into your bed, you sigh "Why does this happen to me?"

Yep, we've all been there, I'm pretty certain. Even the Queen, I bet. Though I'm not sure anyone would lose their temper with her. Here's the thing though, I think we should all forget about those things. It's true, yes, terrible things happen sometimes - awful, unavoidable things that take up so much of our thinking time and exhaust us, making it hard to get through the day. Enjoying the little things helps. Remembering small details of your day today, yesterday, even something last week can give you that extra push to get through a tough time. Remember that lady on the bus who asked where your shoes were from? The viral cat video your brother sent to you? How delicious dinner was? It's so easy to get sucked into a barrage of upset and feeling low, and I am a total advocate of allowing yourself to feel and soak in your sadness and feeling your feelings, but at one point, you have to dust yourself down. You have to enjoy the little things. Learn to say "yes" to opportunities, a trip to the cinema, dessert, a chance to bond with a child (often hilarious) and savour those feelings. Watch YouTube all day and buy a tub of ice cream and GODDAMMIT ENJOY IT LIKE IT'S THE LAST TUB OF ICE CREAM ON EARTH AND IT'S ALL YOURS. Take a chance to be happy, even silly jokes can be the silver lining on a dark cloud. If someone offers you a crisp, eat it. If you spend all day in your pants watching reruns of Breaking Bad, hell yeah that's a good day. Let yourself be sad, but never ever forget the little things. Enjoy them, and your day might seem a little brighter. I hope you had a wonderful, motivational monday.

Cheerio,

Hope x

SUNDAY BRUNCH - BEAUTIFUL BROWNIES

Hey everyone, happy Sunday! I hope whatever you're doing today is fun, happy, lazy or exciting and you're making the most of today! If however you're a bit stuck for ideas and don't have much to do, may I suggest you join me on my kitchen exploits each and every Sunday whilst I make a mess of flour and eggs and share a new recipe! Since this is the first Sunday Brunch we're going to attempt here at The Cereal Diaries, I thought it'd be best to kick off with a classic, something one of my best friends and I would make several times a week during my second year of uni and an all round favourite, BROWNIES. I like to think I'm somewhat of a connoisseur when it comes to the humble brownie, adding walnuts, chocolate chips or orange extract to spice up ya life, but this week, we're going for the simple, understated and frankly addictive plain brownie, but do feel free to embellish these bad boys with any extras you deem suitable.

WARNING WARNING, THESE BROWNIES ARE EXTREMELY MOREISH AND UTTERLY DELECTABLE, EAT AT YOUR OWN RISK. I REFUSE TO DO SKINNY BROWNIES. I USED BUTTER.

Avengers, assemble!

First things first, you'll need your ingredients. 

• 200 grams butter
• 113 grams cocoa
• 454 grams brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 225 grams plain flour
• 2 eggs

I always find it best to use Stork butter, as it's good for baking, but you mustn't forget your most important accessory! Your little sister ES and yourself in some quite frankly snazzy aprons.

                   

Looking fly.

Now you have your ingredients and little adorable helper, you can begin! So let's go!

Method

• Preheat oven 180C and grease 30x20 tin
• Put butter and cocoa in big pan and melt gently, being especially careful to not boil. Add sugar and vanilla and stir really well!

• Take off heat sift in flour.

                   

• Add eggs and beat really well (easy enough by hand) - ADD ANY EMBELLISHMENTS HERE (Here at The Cereal Diaries, we like walnuts)

Esme S, expertly mixing, even with a fresh manicure.

• Spread evenly in tin, and allow to bake for 20-25 mins. Let cool, cut into squares, and devour instantly.

And after 20 - 25 minutes, these beauties should look like....

Beautiful if I do say so myself. They're really easy to make, super quick and they taste fab. A quick whip around the room on a plate meant this particular batch were gone before I could even take a photo, but take it from me, you won't regret making them!

Have a wonderful Sunday, whatever you're doing, happy baking, and I'll see you soon!

Cheerio,

Hope x