Life at the moment...

Bonjour encore! Sorry that it's been a while...

I know that I promised a 'Love Lettuce' face mask review for you which I haven't finished as of yet, but now that I've got a few days to put my feet up, you'll expect to find a few new posts soon. 

Here's a few photos depicting my life at the moment: 

1. I've discovered a new love for Twinings hot chocolate...especially when made with hot milk, cream and mini marshmallows in my new Tigger mug.

2. Happy belated Halloween everyone! I had a lot of fun carving my cute little pumpkin. Thinking of Halloween, happy belated Bonfire night too! I spent Bonfire night at my auntie's eating all of her delicious butternut squash soup and toffee apples...

3. Even on the freezing cold days I'm still taking Ozzy for walks, he loves going out... apart from when the wind is blowing towards him and when I don't walk him on the concrete.

4. I finally bought the cat cushion that I've been staring at for weeks... as well as two other cushions for my collection. 

5. Ozzy finally got a haircut! Hurrah! He looks a little skinny and strange but his fur is growing back rather quickly...

6. We also bought Oz a new Frisbee, which he can't carry because it's huge, so he decides to run around with it hung around his body.

 Anyways, I'll leave you with a lovely cover of Mcfly's 'Love is Easy' by Barnaby from Dive Bella Dive.

Thanks for reading.
Bisous
Beckie Adlington (and Ozzy)



x x x x

Autumn.

Well hello mes amis! 
I've been tagged by lovely Rachel to answer some questions about autumn, so here you go, enjoy...

1. It's finally autumn, what are you most looking forward to this season?
Probably the cold weather. I bet you're thinking 'WHAT? WHY?' Well, I don't like the hot weather in the summer (if we get any summertime), I much prefer the cold and getting snuggled under my covers at night. Plus, when autumn-time begins, that means it's closer to winter and therefore Christmas (my favourite time of year).

2. Which autumn item in your closet are you most looking forward to pulling out?
Probably my jumpers that my granddad donated to me last winter, they're really fluffy and warm and best for the very very cold months, I also really like to pull out my boot cuffs and Russian style hat (basically anything fluffy and really warm does the trick).


3. Since Halloween is the first holiday to celebrate, we all get treated with a horror movie marathon all month long. What is your favourite scary movie to watch?
I'm a real horror movie lover and I have quite a large collection. The first scary movie I saw was Nightmare on Elm Street directed by Wes Craven. I bought the box set and was completely hooked, I also have a little obsession with the Saw movies (again I have them all). Others I really like are 'The Hills Have Eyes', 'Child's Play', 'The Grudge' (Japanese version) and 'Orphan'.



4. What is your favourite autumn treat?
Well, I love caramel Macchiatos from Starbucks (like Rachel) and also the white chocolate mochas but I mostly look forward to gingerbread lattes at Christmas.

5. Now that summer is finally over, what will you miss about it?
Probably like Rachel said, daylight hours. It's hard to juggle full time work with a puppy, I've got a lack of hours with him through the week as it is, and the days closing in means I get less time to play with him *sad face*.

6. Which make-up/beauty products do you love for autumn?
I'm not really into tonnes of make-up, just the essentials. I love nail polish but obviously I can't wear it through the week when I'm working but non-the-less I'd go for a nice orange/red colour and paint my nails variations of autumn.

7. What have you recently bought in preparation for the autumn season?
Nothing in particular, as sad as it is, I've bought lots of socks and slippers because my feet get really cold when it starts getting into autumn.

8. Have you ever been trick or treating?
Yes, I used to go practically every year, normally as a witch or more recently a scary doll (I covered myself in lace and fake blood and wore a patterned pink dress). I normally go to my aunt and uncle's for Halloween and meet up with family so it's always good.

9. Name the first five things that come to mind when you think of autumn...
Trees (obviously), Bobble hats, hot water bottles, lay-ins and candles....

10. What is your favourite season and why?
Probably winter because I like cold weather, in particular snow and because in winter we have the best holiday, Christmas! I really love Christmas...

So there you go, hope you enjoyed reading this post, I'm going to tag Jess but anyone that would like to do this tag is welcome to. Hopefully I'll be blogging again soon, probably including a lot of photos of Ozzy...

I'll leave you with a music video...this one was uploaded recently and I'm hooked.
Dive Bella Dive- School

Bisous 

Beckie Jayne Adlington.

x x x x x x 

Why hello there.

Hey there, I'm sorry I've not been posting recently...

I've been really busy working lately. Working as a dental nurse is possibly the strangest thing I've ever  experienced...

I've seen a lot of bad teeth but I've met some really interesting people and I'm starting to recognise patients (as odd as that is).

...I've learnt a lot in five weeks of working at the practice and I'll be working with my mother and a new trainee starting Monday.

So yes, just a little update on life really, working, baking cupcakes and playing with this little rascal...

Say hello to Ozzy, he's a Maltipoo (A Maltese cross Apricot poodle). He's almost twelve weeks now and he's a naughty little munch-kin but I love him loads. It's taken three years to persuade my nan and I finally found my little bundle of fluff to give cuddles to and take for walks.

Thanks for reading mes amis!

À bientôt!

Beckie Adlington (and Ozzy).

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Liebster award....

I received a rather nice message via twitter from my friend Rachel (Rachel-ec) last night (or should I say early this morning as we are both practically nocturnal).
It was about tagging me in her post Liebster Award, which you should check out because her posts are definitely worth reading.

So, according to Rachel there are a set of rules that I have to follow:
- List 11 facts about yourself (little bizarre number really...)
- Answer the 11 questions that have been set for you and then create 11 questions yourself for the people you will tag to your post (again 11, what a strange number, why not 10?)
- Choose up to 11 bloggers and link them to your post (I'm not even going to mention the number of bloggers ~_~).
- Go to their blog and tell them you've nominated them.
- No tag backs.
- Only for bloggers who have less than 200 followers.

Okay then, rules read, lets start.

Facts about me.

1. My full name is Rebecca Jayne Adlington and often enough I receive a large amount of new followers on Twitter who seem to believe that I'm Rebecca Adlington the Olympic swimmer. Unfortunately not...sorry to disappoint.
2. I have a slight obsession with buying books and I prefer not to allow my friends to borrow my books because from past experience they don't treat them like I do. On one occasion my best friend dropped my book in the bath while she was reading. I still don't know how she managed it to be honest...
3. I'm a typical geek, I like manga and comics and I spend a lot of time watching The Big Bang Theory and Doctor Who.
4. I've studied French for seven years, Spanish for four (I've lost most of my ability to speak it now) and I'm currently teaching myself Japanese.
5. I collect cute pens, pencils and notebooks (which I may show you later). Don't ask why, I just love quirky stationary plastered in adorable characters like Hello Kitty, Rilakkuma and many others. Oh, and I obviously love Paperchase.
6. I had braces for a period of eleven months, which was extremely quick apparently. I recall going in December and being really upset that they were coming off because I wanted Red and Green colours on them just for Christmas.
7. I have a tendency to ramble (which I've been doing all through these facts as they're abnormally long).
8. I'm a sucker for horror movies, I can't get enough of them.
9. I have an addiction to Sushi which has burnt a hole in my pocket over the years going to YO! Sushi on a next to weekly basis.
10. I'm physically repulsed by celery, I get goosebumps and feel sick when I smell it and family members have chased me around the room with it.
11. I'm also an avid collector of teapots and tea sets.

Okay...now the questions from Rachel.

1. What made you decide to start a blog? - I think I was just bored after all the exams, I'm still not sure. I suppose I like to ramble and share my stories and thoughts...
2. Name a song that means something to you (and state why if you like) - Bruce Springsteen- Long Walk Home.
3. Are/were you a student? If so, what do/did you study? - I guess you could say I'm still a student, until tomorrow I guess. I've been studying French, Law and Psychology.
4. If you had to set yourself one goal for life, what would it be? - To do something which means I'll never be forgotten.
5. Somebody has made you your ultimate 3-course meal, what would the courses be? - Probably Salmon Nigiri's for starter, then maybe Lasagne or Udon noodles with chicken and dessert would be a slice of perfect Victoria sponge cake with butter-cream and raspberry jam.
6. If you could choose any language to speak (in addition to the language[s] you already speak), which would you choose and why? - If you don't count Japanese as a language I can speak then definitely Japanese, but if not, probably Korean, I'd love to learn that.
7. What is your biggest pet peeve? - Either drivers who don't signal/ indicate or people who don't wash their hands after going to the toilet.
8. What is something you're particularly proud of? - My sketches of  Misao Harada on DeviantArt: Misao Harada.
9. Which would you rather see live? Stand-up comedy, live music or a play? - I guess it depends on the person/ people I would be seeing live, but I think I'd prefer stand-up comedy.
10. How old will you be in 5 years? - 23 years old.
11. If you had two children tomorrow, a boy and a girl, what would you name them? - Barnaby and Clea.

 Questions I'm setting:

1. If you could visit any country, where would it be?
2. If you had to live on one meal for the rest of your life, what would you choose?
3. How tall are you?
4. If you could meet anybody dead or alive, who would it be?
5. If you could go back and change something in your life, what would it be?
6. What's your favourite book? (Or movie if books aren't your thing).
7. If you were an animal what would you be? (Mythical or ordinary).
8. What do you like to splurge money on most?
9. What's you dream job?
10. What's your favourite piece of clothing or accessory?
11. What annoys you the most?

I'm going to tag Ashleigh Morris and Jessie Adlington. Lucky Jess, you have one from both me and Rachel now. Anyone can do this tag too if you wish.

Merci et...

...Bisous

Beckie

x x x x

At long last.

At long last I have sat down and began to write a new blog post. I really need to be more active on Blogger...and in real life I suppose.

The last few weeks haven't been particularly amazing, some off days, some good ones... 

...Most of the good ones drinking litres upon litres of English tea.

So, apart from this...

I finally got a rice cooker, hurrah!
I'm very impressed with it, I've gotta say...it makes perfect fluffy rice in a flash. Money well spent.

In other news, I met up with family a week ago at my Auntie Dora's funeral. It wasn't a nice way to meet up with family that I've not seen in a while but it makes you realise that they're always there when you need them. Hopefully when I pass my driving test I'll be able to see them all more often.

One other thing...

...I finally got a new bike, it's a Pendleton Somerby. I've outgrown my old mountain bike which I've now sold and I'm so happy to have my new one. It's gorgeous and a smooth ride and I can't wait for next spring when I can ride down country lanes and go for picnics in the park. 
It's funny going for rides on it as random old ladies smile and wave at me, but according to my driving instructor I look the part on it.

I went on a stroll to give my friend some flowers.

Oh, and finally...

...Exam results. As most of you will know A level students get their exam results on Thursday and I suspect I've not done particularly well. Totally stereotypical I know but I found college really difficult (due to the fact I studied English Literature, French, Psychology and Law). But I'm hoping I've got decent results as I did continue college for two years even when it made me miserable on a daily basis (as it probably did to many of students in the country). But good luck to everyone, I hope you all get the results you hoped for and if not, it's really not the end of the world so chin up, okay? 

I'll keep my blog posted on my results, ramblings, Japanese learning (which will be mentioned soon) and perhaps some book reviews (The Hunger Games and others) when I have the chance as I've got lots planned for this week.

Hope you all have a great week.

Bisous

Beckie Adlington

x x x 

The Book Thief Review.

So here goes, I'm starting with a book review of something I've recently finished reading which has now become one of my favourite novels of all time.

The Book Thief.
If you take a look at the blurb of the book itself it's quite obvious what the story will entail.

The story takes place during the war in Germany, more specifically on Himmel Street and it follows the life of Liesel Meminger. The story is narrated by death who cannot stop his curiosity and visits Liesel on numerous occasions as she seems to 'dodge the bullet' so to speak. 

To briefly describe the book without giving any insight or ruining the story is to say that it's beautifully written.
I have not previously read any of Markus Zusak's books but a quick google search would tell you that he began writing young adult fiction. The Book Thief is known to be his first adult novel. If you scroll through reviews on Amazon you may find various individuals criticising the style of writing in The Book Thief due to the fact that Zusak has only previously written young adult fiction. Some claim the prose is 'abominable' and the book is 'aimed at people with the attention span of a gnat'. I completely disagree with this as not only is the book 553 pages long (which someone with 'an attention span of a gnat' wouldn't be able to complete), I don't view the prose as abominable at all. In terms of the character Liesel, the prose is immature but this is of course is intended by Zusak as Liesel is supposed to be viewed as childish and vulnerable.

I will admit that because of the change in viewpoint i.e. how Death will discuss his life and flash back through time, then return to Liesel's story, that the book is flawed as sometimes it does get a little confusing. But in a nutshell I thought Death as a character was a stroke of genius, I found his little tales and ramblings enjoyable and overall I thought he told the story very well.

I'd also like to point out the ending (which I won't go into detail about as it will obviously ruin the story). The ending was hard to describe as I found it very emotional yet somewhat too short compared with the overall book. In one way, Zusak spent too much time in the beginning and middle of the book meaning less time was spent on the ending which I would have wanted more elaboration on.

Overall, the book is very well written and definitely one to check out as it has been appearing in the book charts recently.

I hope my review was helpful...

Bisous 
Beckie  

xxxx