Real Housewives of Atlanta - I am slightly obsessed!

I am embarrassed to confess my love for the show "The Real Housewives of Atlanta", and just felt like doing a post about my fav women on the show.

Kim Zolciak

Kim is a TV personality and came out a few years ago as bisexual. She tried to start a music career (her colleague on the show wrote the songs for her, for free!) but Kim's terrible vocals have meant that not much has come from her music career. She is funny on the show and has 2 great daughters.

Nene Leakes

Nene is a massive gay icon and is very bubbly in personality. She divorced her husband Gregg, only to get back together with him a year or so later. I love Nene, she seems like a good friend and someone who is easy to talk to. 

Kandi Burruss

Kandi was a member of the 90's girl group "Xscape" and is an acclaimed songwriter, she even wrote "No Scrubs"! She is really likeable on the show and the most down to earth in my opinion.

My experience with a venomous Chilean Rose Tarantula!

My boyfriend and I visited Xscape in Leeds, and there we saw a stand with a guy with lots of birds of prey, snakes and spiders! You could pay to hold one and the money went towards conservation, so I thought why not!

I chose the Chilean Rose tarantula! I have no idea why, they scare me to death!

After I had held it for a while, the guy told me that they were venomous and I had a tiny panic, but I didn't want to scare the tarantula so I tried to keep my cool!

They actually have massive fangs, look at these:

Scientists plan to bring back EXTINCT animals! Whatttt?!

So I read this news article stating how scientists from around the world were meeting up to debate and plan which extinct animals to bring back to life! They have shortlisted 24 animals, ranging from Woolly Mammoth to Smilodon (Sabre-toothed Tiger) to the Dodo!

See the list of shortlisted animals here

They have apparently all already decided that it would be pretty much impossible to bring back the dinosaurs as they have been extinct for such a long time the DNA has broken down and is not stable enough. No real life Jurassic Park then :(

Do face masks really work? Review of mine :)

As I'm sat watching Come Dine With Me with a gorgeous smelling raspberry smoothie face mask on my face, I am wondering whether what I am doing will actually make any sort of difference. Plus I'm bored enough to actually make a blog post about putting on a face mask!

I have always liked face masks, but I always sort of think that they are like a placebo effect type of thing - where you just convince yourself that your skin feels amazing afterwards, but do they have long term benefits? What does everyone else think? This is the mask I have used:

This face mask is from Montagne Jennesse and are 99p a sachet from Boots. You get one mask in each packet, but you get loads and you have plenty to use on your neck area too (even though I can't stand face mask on my neck!). They have loads of other really nice looking masks, like this self-heating fudge mask, which I will be using next!

So I've left it 15 minutes, I'd better wash it off! :)

The downside to these particular masks is that they are not the easiest to remove!

Yes my skin feels moisturised, yes it feels smooth, just like it said on the packet...but I've heard of so many people who have used masks and it has actually made their skin condition worse, which worries me a bit! Oh well, I have loads of face masks that I have been bought as presents so I might as well plough through them! :)

Mini (cheap) Blog Sale - please have a look! :)

Hi guys, I have decided to raise a little cash so I am selling some of my costume jewellery and other miscellaneous stuff on my blog, have a look and if you like any of it please message me and things can get sorted over paypal. Everything is cheap, so grab a gargain!

River Island faded worn effect denim jacket, £20 (RRP £45)

£1

£1.50

£1.50

Fairy necklace, sits on collarbone, £1

New purple stone necklace, £1

£2

Dove charm bead bracelet, £2

£2

£4

£2

£2

Remember your childhood memories: I am!

I would like to urge everyone to write down/document some special moments/memories from your childhood. I will do this now, and I think its a great idea as I have the worst memory ever and I would hate to forget the little things that meant so much to me when I was younger with the people that I cared so much about.





Some of my childhood memories:

Being carried around the lush green garden by my Grandad; he would hold me up so that I could touch the large beech leaves on the trees, they always astounded me for some reason!

Visiting my grandparents pet sheep and riding on the back of the old male.

When my Dad would blow raspberries on my belly and I'd scream with laughter.

Being allowed to push the trolley in the supermarket and feeling extra-grown-up!

Spending all day in my grandparents orchards, finding worms and collecting them in a big tub. I also went out of my way to obtain several pet slugs, or anything else that I could fit in an old Flora margarine tub with holes poked through the top!

Thinking that the piece of council grass hidden by trees outside my house was my own "secret garden".

Helping my Grandma in her greenhouse.

Making a zoo in my bedroom with all my stuffed animals.

Dreaming of owning a desk one day, then receiving one on my 9th birthday and crying with delight.

Me in the middle, about aged 12/13, having a party in my Grandparents garden with all my schoolfriends:

Me aged 13 and my Mum:

Me, aged 14, with my gorgeous pony Seaspray:

I urge you all to do the same, I have now entered a state of intense reminiscence!

my hectic past few months!

Hey! I have been so busy at my new job recently that I have not had time to even consider blogging!

I became a registered mental health nurse in October 2012 and stated working on an acute assessment unit in Hull, which means we have patients brought in by the police and our Crisis team, who may be drunk, under the influence of drugs, and suffering from psychosis or any other acute mental illness. Many may feel suicidal and it can be a worry having them on the unit, as they are considered quite risky.

It has been ever so interesting and I love spending time with my patients, talking to them and trying to work out with them a pattern of trigger events in their lives, or to identify ways in which they can go back to living at home with their families.

We often get patients who are detained under the Mental Health Act or "sectioned" and this can be a real challenge, as they often want to leave and I have to tell them why they can't.

Anyway, I have loved the past few months and am looking forward to going to Barcelona this weekend to watch FC Barcelona play at Camp Nou stadium!

My boyfriend and I are also going to Rome for 5 days in February which I am SO EXCITED for as I have always wanted to go and see the Colosseum and all the other amazing historical architecture.

I have also moved into a house with my boyfriend! I am moving my gorgeous cats in next week which I can't wait for as I have missed them so much whilst we have been getting the house all ready.

I am now going to try and start packing for Barcelona! I will post lots of photos when we return :)

xxxx

Back to blogger...with clothes for sale!

I've only just realised really that I haven't posted on here for ages! Since then I have finished university, and started up a little online clothing shop to try and raise money to visit my Dad in New Zealand this December! I haven't seen him for 18 months, so I'm really hoping I can go!

Here are some of the clothes I have for sale (most of which I have made myself!)

These shorts are £15 each, they started life as a pair of boring jeans!

French Connection studded yellow wool crop jumper £20

Studded distressed denim shorts £15

Bring on the sales! Flights are £1200 and I currently have just £41 saved! 

xxx

Head's like scrambled egg!

Today was my first shift at my new and LAST EVER placement for my nurse training! I have already posted about what kind of placement it is, so I'll just summarise my day!

Patients were lovely - felt threatened by one, but let's forget that for now - and the staff made me feel ever so welcome. They are all fantastic, the Consultant is funny and kind, and I really think I'll get on well there.

I have a lot to learn over the next 12 weeks but it is an amazing opportunity, I will be doing the medication rounds in a few weeks, leading the multidisciplinary team meetings and becoming keyworker for certain appropriate patients! I can't wait!

I always feel conscious that I am "in the way" on placements sometimes, especially when staff are busy, so I always try and keep as busy as possible. Spent some time with a patient in the art room, helped with a very tricky Simpsons puzzle (I am rubbish at puzzles!) and sat in the garden with a few patients and the other student nurse and had a laugh with a few other patients. I really like spending time on the ward and am definitely not one to sit myself in the nursing office and do nothing!

Had a blood pressure training presentation this afternoon and I stayed behind with the lecturer so she could show me how to confidently take them manually. I have only had one other inpatient placement which was 2 years ago so am not as confident with them as I should be, but I feel much better now! She showed me some good tips, like trying to find the exact location of the pulse in the arm before placing the stethoscope, and pumping the cuff up without the stethoscope first to guess the systolic range until you feel the pulse disappear with your fingers, then you know how tightly to pump up the poor persons arm!

Doing an early shift tomorrow, 7am til 3pm, and the same on Friday, then weekend off! I'll update my blog accordingly :)

Watch out Pudsey! You will not BELIEVE these dogs!

This is for anyone who watched Britain's Got Talent and was impressed by Pudsey (who won), seriously, watch these dogs from America's Got Talent, they are unbelievable!!

Recently :)

So it's been a while since I've posted, because I have been busy with university, however I have only 12 WEEKS left til I am (hopefully) a qualified mental health nurse! My last placement, which will last all summer (no summer holidays, boooo) is an all-male psychiatric unit in Hull, and I am reallyyyyy looking forward to it!

My boyfriend Chris has been making some lovely photos recently, here are a few that are my favs:

This is my cat Socks

This is me on my gorgeous horse Ikoss

This is my cat Muffin drinking out the kitchen tap, naughty thing!

This is one of his pet monkeys eating a cricket

Another thing we have been getting up to is looking around lots of antique shops, exploring all the cool items you can find there. It's so interesting learning about some of the weirder antiques and I wish I had a house so that I could put loads of awesome old stuff in it!

I have one last week off before I have to start my placement so I'm going to make the most of it and go on some day trips with Chris :)

My plans for 2012 :)

This year is my last year at university and I will (hopefully) end up at the end of the summer a qualified mental health nurse! There are several places I would love to visit before being tied down in a full time job, and I thought I would share them with you.

Morocco

My mum bought my boyfriend and I a 3 night trip to Dartassa, Morocco, and we are going in June. I am looking forward to it, I have been to Marrakech before and althought it was a bit of a culture shock I really did end up enjoying myself.

A donkey we saw in Morocco chained to the spot, at the dye pits

Gambia

My Grandad goes to Gambia, Africa, almost every year as he helps to support a village there. On his last trip he paid for a new water well to be dug so that the villagers did not have to commute miles in the hot sun for water. He is going again in November and wants me to accompany him, which I would love to do! The flights are around £400 and the accomodation is a mere £100 per week, so I am definitely tempted to go with him if I can gather the funds together!

New Zealand

My Dad lives in Christchurch, New Zealand, and I would love to go and visit him a second time. I went last April for 3 weeks and loved it! It really is a beautiful country and my Dad treated me to a trip to Queenstown, which has the most gorgeous scenery I have ever seen! Here is a photo of me in Queenstown:

And finally an international elective nursing placement, destination undecided

I am seriously considering going on an international nursing placement at the end of my course. I think I would go for 2-3 weeks and the destinations I have been reading about are Tanzania, Ghana, Sri Lanka or Nepal. Prices range from about £1000 for 3 weeks, which does not include flights, so I would have to save up a lot of money, but I really think it would be an amazing experience. They offer hospital placements and allow you free time to explore and go on safaris! They have special safe houses where everyone on the placement stays and offer free local language lessons. I have always wanted to do something like this but money has hindered me, as they are expensive. This is something I need to research a bit more and decide if I can afford!

Im a GEEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But I've bagged a cool BF.

War Horse: The Real Story

I don't know how many of you caught the recent Channel 4 program depicting the real war horses of the First World War, but I thought I would take some information from that and from my own research and show you some photos and background of these fantastic brave horses.

Warrior

Warrior carried General Jack Seely, a good friend of Winston Churchill, through the horrors of war.

Warrior was always brave, and reported never to run away or back off from battle.

He was dubbed "the horse the German's couldn't kill"

One day, Warrior went lame and the General had to ride another horse, who was killed by a shell in battle. The General broke 3 ribs but thanked his lucky stars he wasn't riding Warrior.

Warrior survived the war, and returned home to the Isle of Wight where the General continued to ride him around the countrysides until 1938.

Warrior died in 1941, aged 33 years old.

Photos of horses from the First World War

Should Rihanna get back with Chris Brown?

I have mixed feelings about this one! I get that everyone deserves a second chance and makes mistakes blah blah, but then again he DID make her face black and blue!

I just actually found out that apparently she had bite marks on her body too!

Another reason she shouldn't is that after she did campaigning for domestic violence, to get back with him would completely undermine all the work she did and ruin her role as an influential woman to other womem suffering domestic violence.

Here are some photos of her looking her best!