Home is wherever I'm with you...

Good evening, my wonderful ones. I've realised I've been quite busy lately so I haven't managed to post much on here, let alone have any free time for any of my actual writing that needs to be done! So I thought I'd give you an update on my last couple of weeks.

Last week was reading week which meant that none of the psychology students had lectures. This week was supposedly one where, in theory, we would read the entire time and catch up on work - I decided to go home. Now, I couldn't go home with my friend Shana at lunchtime because I had a tutorial in the afternoon. I was particularly proud of myself after this for two reasons: 

1. In this tutorial, I had to give a presentation. I was really nervous because we hadn't had many tutorials yet, so I didn't really know my group or my tutor all too well and I didn't know if they'd be an awful audience or not. It turns out they were absolutely brilliant and supportive and helpful. Everyone was as nervous as each other, so we all tried to be considerate. I wasn't too sure if they'd understand why I chose the topic I chose... the likelihood is that they'd think I was a really depressive person who doesn't think about anything happy (my topic was suicide ideation and comorbidity with mental disorders - Thibodeau et al (2013)). I was a bit less concerned when everyone seemed to think that mine was a really relevant study & they asked lots of questions, yay. 

2. I was actually quite panicky about going on a coach by myself. Not just because that isn't something I've done for 3 and a half hours before but because generally I get quite paranoid about missing my stop. I didn't miss my stop! I was so unbelievably happy to see my dad waiting for me when I got off the coach. I didn't realise how much I'd missed everyone until I saw them!

So for the first weekend I told my family to pretend I hadn't come home yet so I could get all my work done out of the way. I read 13 chapters & wrote the first draft of my classical conditioning report which I'm actually quite happy with now. I wasn't sure how I'd write it but it sounds like I know what I'm talking about! For the rest of my week at home, I went on plenty of dog walks up the fields with my family, helped my sister rehearse lines for the production of Godspell she's in this month and next, we made butterbeer cupcakes which turned out brilliantly & I got to see some friends. Sadly, one lovely lad I didn't get to see because his interview that afternoon ran majorly late, but he's gonna come down to visit me at university soon! It's absolutely incredible to realise that people were missing me too and that when I came back, they were really, really wanting to see me. Mel even wrote me a song to the tune of 'Hey There Delilah' to tell me how much she missed me! Now I've got that written in the notes on my phone so I can read it and smile from time to time... as cheesy as that sounds. 

My grandparents took us out for dinner on the Friday. That was actually delicious. I had white wine chicken casserole followed by chocolate brownie & pistachio ice cream - MMMMMM. 

I didn't know if I wanted to go back to university after having such a beautiful week at home! I was absolutely certain that as soon as I got back, I'd be tied down with lots of work and stress etc. but I'm doing alright. 

Obviously, last night was bonfire night. Apparently, Plymouth's bonfire night is one of the best in the country and I could tell why! The rain didn't deter us, I met up with Shana, her flatmates and some of our friends... we enjoyed the music, watched the fireworks and the massive bonfire, took plenty of photos (although, you'll have to forgive how blurry mine are!) and then when we started to get cold, we headed to Mousetrap. It was a shame we didn't get any toffee apples before we left but the queues were massive! Anyway, for anyone who doesn't know... Mousetrap is kinda a pub/bar type place. They let students play pool for free, so we went down to the basement and did just that. Another fact about me is that I'm terrible at pool, so when I won a game for once, I was pretty damn happy.

We then went to Caffeine Club, a coffee house/restaurant down the end of the road and I shared a two pint milky bar milkshake and mozzarella cheesy chips with Carrie. We must have stayed there for ages because I didn't get back to my flat until the early hours! We just had discussions about all the films they're gonna make me watch that I've missed out on, how we're all really excited for living in houses next year in our little groups and weirdly... about our primary school PE lessons (mine were definitely less violent than others. We played quidditch and one of my friends would do hurling)!

I apologise if this was a bit brief, but I'm off to the library now like a dedicated student, haha. I hope everyone had as lovely a week as I did. 

So Unpredictable

Hello there, I've missed being able to type so much and actually go on the computer for reasons other than checking my email or reading chapters on the Ebooks system.

I thought I'd just say a little update about what's been happening the last few weeks. So we're the third week in and there's been quite a lot of drama!

First of all, freshers sadly was a no-go for me 'cause I had to fill in loads of forms and suddenly all my ID was out of date and I had to send off for new ones and they haven't come back yet... So even though I'm definitely 18, I don't really have many ways of proving it for now. I'm not panicking though, I'm going to have everything posted up by my famalam when it comes! And plus, it doesn't mean that I haven't been joining in with the random happenings in my flat.

On the social side of things, my goodness! I may or may not have gotten myself into a pickle already, but that's not necessarily my own problem, so I'm sure it'll be fine eventually. I've met quite a few new people, some of which you know will just have the answers to every question possible, some of which are quite quiet, a lot of which are ill like I am (freshers flu is the worst!) but so far everyone seems so, so lovely.

I'm actually really happy today because after everyone being busy & settling into uni elsewhere or doing things at home, I've actually managed to have quite a few phonecalls, Facebook conversations, FaceTime sessions and texts with people at home who I really miss! I was so pleasantly surprised because one lovely person has already looked up trains to come and see me soon!

Course-wise, I absolutely love Psychology. Anyone that knows me will understand how geeky I am, so whilst some others can't quite deal with getting up ridiculously early and learning about neuroscience, I find it fascinating - especially when one of the case studies involves a condition I suffer from (not contagious or lethal, I promise). Developmental and Clinical Psychology at the moment have to be my favourites, there's so many things in there that I've always wanted to know more about and I think that's probably the general direction I'm going to go for my masters.

One last final thing: I've signed up to be a student ambassador! I've got the training tomorrow and there's an open day on the 19th, which I'm really looking forward to. I honestly think this is the sort of thing I need to boost my confidence - plus I'll be making £9 an hour which isn't too shabby! What else can I mention? I joined PsySoc and we're in the middle of attempting to set up a musical instrument society (we have an orchestral society, but pianists don't really have their place there). I know it sounds weird, but I'm really hoping that when this is set up, someone will properly teach me how to play the guitar.

So, that's my life right now, in a nutshell. I'm trying to keep everyone I possibly can informed but it's getting tricky, so bare with me!

University of Plymouth 2013

So a week has passed since I moved to Plymouth! I have to apologise now that I haven't yet written a post about it all because I've been either waaaaay too busy, or seriously tired. It's so funny how messed up my sleeping pattern is!

It's weird to think that by this time yesterday I had just gotten to Mary Newman Halls & got up to my flat. I'd seen Emma in the kitchen unpacking her shopping, been left alone to sort through my things and then go for a food shop myself. That was odd for me, I actually had to do a full shop myself and sign up for a nectar card AND use a card for my new student account. I would say that it was a little overwhelming, which is partly true, but I honestly think that I've settled in better than I thought I would.

Now that I've got everything up and running, like the internet (shout out to Min, our HC, for giving me an ethernet cable!) and my university email, I'm feeling like things are running a bit more smoothly. Mind you, I may not be saying that when I try to copy out my timetable later... there's a lot of different groups that I'll need to write down. So basically, I need to stop being lazy and buy myself a calendar!

In case any of you were wondering, my room's pretty awesome. It has a killer view out across Plymouth and it may be the smallest room in the flat, but I have two wardrobes (which I wouldn't dream of having at home) and it's bigger than my room at home too! Coincidentally, it's turned out looking properly girly - floral everything.

This week has been seriously helpful. We've had a lot of half an hour lectures explaining how to use the student portal, how to get eBooks (which is a system meaning that I don't have to buy all my textbooks, they can stay on my laptop & phone) and tours round the campus. We've had two welcome parties for my faculty, one at the aquarium on the Barbican and one in the graduation marquee on the Hoe. As of yet, I don't really know many people on my course, but I do at least know the 12 other people from my school who have come here and I know one boy from my tutor. Oh, that's another thing to mention... I met my tutor. He's a neuropsychologist and so far I think he's pretty damn cool.

We've also already had a birthday on our floor - so HAPPY BIRTHDAY GEORGE! We all decorated his flat and hid in the kitchen waiting for him... I think it was a good surprise actually, he seemed shocked that so much effort was put in for a person we'd known less than a week!

I realise I haven't actually shown you what any of my flatmates or floor look like...

These lovely people are my flat. From the left you've got me, Chloe, Riks, Emma & Sam. (Please, please, please though, ignore the fact that there's a balloon penis in the corner... Chelsie got creative when they were decorating for George's birthday).

Then you've got this lot...

From the left again: Sam, Emma, Enya, Riks, George, Chloe, Amy, Elvin, Monica & Jess (our twins!), Henry, Chelsie and I. Harry was taking the photo, if I remember right... so sorry he's not in the photo! 

We're all good at the moment, just having a lazy Saturday. Hopefully getting some washing done at some point (uni life is so exciting!) and then Wheatus are playing in the main hall tonight!

I'll try to write more when I've actually started my course and there's yet more interesting things to write about, so be patient with me.

All Things Bright & Beautiful

So, here I am on a Sunday morning (the first of the month, may I add) trying to write my DSA cover letter and failing miserably when I realise that I have something much more wonderful to write!

On Friday evening, I went to a wedding dress preview at the church. I was invited earlier in the week and even asked to be one of the models (!) but my mumma didn't keep her wedding dress which they wanted for the show, and it wouldn't have fitted me either. I was asked if I wanted to wear one of the dresses that was there when I got to St Mary's, but I didn't want to disrupt the whole system that was clearly already in progress (plus, I'm the clumsiest person ever and I was dreading the fact that I might rip one of these beautiful pieces), so I was a merry little button do-er upper!

It was simply stunning, there were dresses from as early as the 20's and 30's which had been put on handmade mannequins, they'd set up flowers and written little cards about who wore the dress and how much they enjoyed their wedding day - along with photos of the darling brides in their little white pieces of heaven. Lots of lace, lots of buttons and lots of detail! 

I apologise now that I didn't think to write down any of the information about the dresses, I tried taking photos of the little information frames but they were all blurry! This last dress is my absolute favourite though... it has a little leaf pattern all over it and the most adorable tiara to wear with it. Just an absolute dream. Mary was a lucky lady to wear something like this, and compared to today's prices, it was cheap! She bought it for only £7. 

So, Sophie, Rhiannon and Mel were the most beautiful models... they got so many compliments about how beautiful they are, how graceful, how thin... which were totally well deserved because they carried these dresses off without a single worry in the world. The dress Mel (middle photo) was wearing is her grandmother's, which she was told she could wear when she got married... so that's her sorted!

The last part of the evening was spent listening to wedding music sung beautifully by Alison, then Jack & Marielle. I thought Alison was absolutely breathtaking, no lie. One of the pieces she did I knew very well because I had done it for my Grade 4. Apparently I was singing along which amused her quite a bit! What was even more amazing about her was that she was singing with such power, even though she'd given blood that afternoon and still felt faint. 

Jack and Marielle are both half Mexican, so they sang some more traditional folk songs. His guitar playing was, not distracting - that's the wrong word, but very captivating. If I hadn't given up playing the guitar then I might have had hope to be half as good! Marielle's voice was soft and sweet, she played the castanets as well. It was just adorable to see that even though they had done a short little practise of their songs beforehand, they had these spontaneous little moments where they'd look at each other, one would nod and keep on playing/ singing whilst the other did an extra melody underneath. 

Everyone was so lovely there and I got a couple of compliments, which were very much appreciated! It's the sort of thing I'd love to help out with again, and I absolutely love knowing that clothes, jewellery or anything of the sort have a magical, unique story behind them. It's mysterious and enchanting and it plays very well to the romantic in me. 

On a side note, I have two other things to mention. Firstly, my mumma finally finished knitting me the most beautiful Arran jumper! And, I was quite fond of the new blouse and skirt I got from the Covered Market in Oxford, so I wore them to the show! 

So, there's two final photos for you. Not wedding related, but still beloved as anything. I think I'm slowly gathering enough clothes for university! Two weeks to go! 

'It's real for us,'

I am so, so sorry that I haven't posted about the Harry Potter Studio Tour until now! I know it was last weekend but I wanted to wait to the end of this week so I could amalgamate it all together. 

I think it may be best if I firstly mention what happened later this week (two days ago to be exact) so then we can all rejoice and fill our heads purely with Potter from this point on... I got in to Plymouth University! I checked my emails before I went up to school just so I knew where I stood... I had no idea what results I possibly could have got which was why I was so shocked when I found out that I had got A*BB (which contained five individual A's, I'll have you know). This is a huge achievement for me because it's the first ever A* to be found in my results envelope. Not only that but my geography teacher wants to send back one of my papers for remarking so I can push that total grade up to an A. I also went up by 33 marks in my psychology retake and Mr Fellenor said that if we didn't have a slightly odd paper for one of the units, I could have got an overall A for psychology as well. SO CHUFFED. Everyone was expecting me to get C's, B's at a push. So that's just fab! Now you know why I chose to name this post 'It's real for us,' - one of the best quotes, just resonating, for me, the fact that all my hard work is reality (as cheesy as that sounds)! 

Besides Thursday, the highlight of my week definitely was going to the studio tour! Auntie Puddy (Sara) had bought Caoimhe & I tickets for our birthdays and it was worth it. It wasn't, for the most part, like they were showing you things that you didn't already know from the films... but instead you got to see how everything worked and just experiencing it up close made it even more REAL. We went during 'Summer Spells' which meant that we got to see extra bits of set, we were demonstrated how the wands worked, we got to have wand lessons and we got to try out bits of the set! I also, like every other person who will go there, drank plenty of butter beer (which tastes amazingly like cream soda, my favourite) and rode a broomstick! If you do go though, check out the gift shop for as long as possible. There's so many things in there! 

Unfortunately I don't have all of the photos because most of them were taken on my uncle's camera, so there's no family photos in front of props or stood outside Privet Drive but if he eventually emails them across then I'll post them on my instagram. You'll have to forgive the fact that some of these photos are quite dark, iPhones may be incredible but their automatic sensors/ flashes aren't that effective. 

So those photos are primarily of costumes, wigs & props. I took a photo of my favourite horcrux, not all of them... and personally my favourite costumes are Hermione's ball gown, Fleur's school uniform & Narcissa Malfoy's outfit. I just love her hair. 

We turned the corner and they had paper versions of the sets with loads of detail, even down to the taps and the stained glass window in the prefect's bathroom! 

These aren't all the paper sets 'cause I don't want to spoil any of your visits or drown you in photos! I'm also not going to show you their amazing model of Hogwarts because it'll spoil the reaction you have when you see it. It's so incredible, you actually hear the people gasp when they turn the corner! 

I'll leave you with one final little thing I found out - all the wand boxes in Olivander's were painted by hand and every single cast and crew member has their own box. We found quite a few of the cast... but it's difficult to spot when you're in a room with so many names!

So one final thing, all I can say is go. It's wonderful and you'll never get an opportunity quite like it. 

The McKellar-Kellys

So, I woke up ridiculously early this morning and have been tossing and turning since then so I finally thought that enough is enough and I'd do something. The only problem is I'm still in major zombie-mode so I can't really get my brain in gear to do anything that requires actually getting out of bed and walking downstairs.

HOWEVER...

When I was up in Scotland, my Granny had a sort of an epiphany moment in the midst of all her illness and got out all the old photo albums and started telling us old stories which we never thought in a million years she'd be able to remember or even be in the mood/ right frame of mind to tell us. In fact, she did beautifully well on her leave from the hospital, so now that she's out for good (well, she's being taken home in about an hour) she should do absolutely fine!

Anyway, I thought my modest little number of followers would enjoy a bit of a hot-tub time machine moment all the way back to the 60's.

So this photo was taken in 1969. You can see my Granny who was 43 at the time, my darling little mother in yellow (aged 3) and Aunty Kathlyn who is 10. I have no clue when this was taken but they all look so cute. 

I unfortunately have absolutely no idea what date this was taken but you can see my Granny, mumma & Aunty K all outside the front of their house at Girvan. Personally, I think they look beautiful & all prim and proper. 

These two are my parents when they were up visiting my Granny, Uncle Petey flew down from Germany as well, but unfortunately the photo of him isn't as clear, so I might not show it. 

This is one of my favourite photos of my parents, not just because my mum knitted them matching Arran jumpers or because my mumma's glasses are the best thing on the planet but because they look so goofy and happy (as well as those other two things). 

1993-94. This was our first house in Kidlington. I have to go up to Oxford every year to go to the John Radcliffe, so we always park on our old road and walk outside the house to see it. We've never quite built up the courage to knock on the door and say 'excuse me, we used to live here and we were wondering if we could just see the house one more time.' 

13-06-1995. This is a photo of baby me taken on the 15th, two days after I was born. I can't remember exactly what time I was born, but I weighed 3 pounds 3 1/4. I don't look as tiny as I was here, there's a photo of me with my arms and legs stretched out and someone's arm against me, I'm smaller than them length-wise. 

I think I'm no older than one in this photos, but I'm pretty impressed with my outfit here. I'd wear that now. 

My third birthday party. Here you can see Jacob, Sophie & her mum, my mum & I, Beth and unknown baby number 1 who i think is called Alex. I don't really know the girls any more but growing up Jacob has been one of my favourite people. 

The actual photo of me at the hospital was a bit blurry so it wasn't really much good, but here is Caoimhe, born 09-06-1998. 

On the swings at Girvan park, 1998. 

I was a flowergirl for my dad's best friend's wedding, 1999. I have a similar photo to this on my windowsill in an Ariel photoframe which I think is one of the sweetest frames ever. 

Baby Caoimhe playing the piano at Granny's house, 1999. 

One last final photo for you, my sister and I in our current living room (although by this time, it's actually decorated). I'm guessing this was taken in 2002-03. 

I'm so sorry that there isn't any photos beyond 2002, it seems my family got more lazy with developing photos after that point. If I had a recent photo of both me and my sister then I'd show you but they're all just ones of us taking selfies on each other's phones, which doesn't really help!

If you want to see more photos of my faaaaaabulous life, then check out my Instagram. If you want to hear more ramblings about random things I do during the day, have a gander at my Twitter (I apologise now if you're annoyed by my over-use of exclamation marks).