Thought for Thursday | You Don't Need Bunnies To Be Beautiful | #02 2017

Hello lovelies!

A little disclaimer before we delve in: all opinions stated in this post are my own. They are my personal thoughts and beliefs, and I understand that not everyone who reads this post will feel the same way. I’d ask you to be respectful if you choose to make your own opinion public. Polite discussion is encouraged, but any disrespectful or abusive comments will be dealt with accordingly.

Right – now we’ve got the serious shit out the way, let’s crack on, shall we?

For a while now I’ve been investigating the possibility of living as cruelty-free a life as possible, and I think I’ve got to the stage now where am ready to open up and talk a little bit about my ethics and viewpoints on the subject.

Source

I’ve now been vegetarian for over eleven years. It began when I was about fourteen years old: my friend group all made a pact to go vegetarian after being shown a video about cosmetic vivisection in a PSHE lesson, and it was all we could talk about for the rest of the day. I haven’t looked back on that decision since and generally regard it as one of the best I’ve ever made.

Being vegetarian at university was surprisingly easy, not to mention economic: while my friends and housemates were paying a lot of money for meat every week (not to mention an amazing amount of Maccie Ds and KFC), I was surviving on Quorn, pasta, and vegetables. Plus the odd margherita pizza from Dominos, but I’m only human, after all…

I do make a point to only discuss my vegetarianism if someone asks about it: while I will happily chat about why I don’t eat meat or fish to help someone understand my point of view, I don’t believe in preaching or being too forceful when the subject comes up. I will also cook meat for J (although I don’t buy it myself). There have been times when I’ve been mocked or looked down on for my beliefs, and if you do that to someone, regardless of what those beliefs may be – religious, dietary, sexual, or anything else – you are a fuckwit. LPT: if you want to have a grown-up discussion about why someone is veggie or vegan, try asking them about it in an interested, mature manner; don’t wave a raw chicken breast in their face. 

My beautiful little adoptees! Pika (L) and Pixie (R)

Animals have always been a huge part of my life – I grew up with cats and a dog, and in October last year J and I adopted two gorgeous degus, Pika and Pixie. The lovely folk at Notts Nibblers rescued a large group of degus (including my two) from a garden shed, where they experienced negligible and inhospitable conditions, in April 2016; NN rehabilitated all of them and gave them a second chance at happiness. (NN do amazing work with rescuing and rehoming all small pets from rats to rabbits – if you’re in the Nottingham area, do go and check them out!). Adopting the girls instead of going to a pet shop to buy a pair of degus meant being able to give something back to those who believe animals deserve just as much as a second chance as humans. Our girls have flourished since we brought them home last year and are truly loved (and spoiled).

However, it’s recently been brought to my attention that I could be doing more as an individual to help promote animal welfare and protect vulnerable creatures from cruelty. I stumbled across this video by the lovely Hannah Witton a couple of weeks ago, and it made me realise that, even though I live by certain dietary regulations, the extent to which my beauty regime could be cruel had never really dawned on me. In the video Hannah mentions logicalharmony.net and its ever-increasing lists of brands which do and do not test on animals, and I’ve been doing my own research with the products I use on a nearly-daily basis.

My make-up bag and all its current contents. Look how few pink stickers there are =(

Everything in the photo above is currently in my make-up bag, and every item with a little pink sticker on it is cruelty-free (the one brush represents all my brushes, which are by Real Techniques and are therefore all cruelty-free). I was genuinely shocked at how many make-up items I own that are produced by companies which test on animals! It’s very sobering when you take a step back and realise something like that, especially when you have lived a certain way for a very long time.

So, having done that and also reassessing the products I use for skincare, hair care, and bath and shower times (Lush, you are my eternal babe and saviour), and almost a month after 2017 began, I have finally decided on my New Year’s Resolution. From hereon in, I am going to be attempting to live as ethically as possible where hair and beauty are concerned: no products which are tested on animals or sold in China, vigorous research into any new products, and actively searching out brands which are strictly cruelty-free. I’m going to use up all items I currently have open and not throw them away because that would be a waste of money, but once an item from a brand that doesn’t have approval from the Logical Harmony list has been used up I won’t be repurchasing it.

The number of well-known brands that still test on animals or sell their products in China (the only country in the world where it’s mandatory that a cosmetic product be tested on animals) is disgusting, unnecessary, and, in some cases, really disappointing. Collection, for instance, do – a massive shame because their Lasting Perfection concealer is a genuinely brilliant product. Nivea, the skincare I have sworn by for years, do. Tresemme and L’Oreal, whose hair products do wonders for my lacklustre locks, do. Whyyyy. At least Barry M are cruelty-free, thank the lawd.

So now I’m in need of some help! What are your favourite cruelty-free beauty brands? Any tips for someone looking to make a change? If anyone has any suggestions or recommendations leave them in the comments below. I’d love to hear your thoughts!

X x

Thought for Thursday | Bending and Breaking | 2017 #01

Hello lovelies,

It’s been another long while, hasn’t it. Almost a year, in fact. And what a year 2016 was…

To kick things back into action on here it seemed appropriate to start with a Thought for Thursday, because thinking is something I’ve been doing a shitload of recently. I’d like to share some of those thoughts here and now.

Sourced from Pinterest

Last year was, without a shadow of a doubt, the worst and most difficult of my life to date. It just seemed to be one thing after another after another after another, and not even necessarily huge things: it was a year of spilled wine and forgotten umbrellas and tangled headphones. Little inconveniences which on their own could have easily been dismissed but, in conjunction with the bigger things, just lent themselves to making a bad year even worse.

2016 was the year I moved to Nottingham, further away from my family than ever. It was the year my mental health took a tumble. It was the year I lost my wonderful grandfather to cancer we didn’t even know he had. It was the year my job was dangled in front of me and eventually snatched away. It was twelve months of loneliness, homesickness, tears, regret, and guilt.
On a more global scale, in 2016 the world said goodbye to David Bowie, Carrie Fisher, Alan Rickman, and George Michael, amongst numerous other stars. June saw Britain vote to leave the EU in Brexit, a movement which coined the eventual word of the year, and pussy-grabbing businessman Donald Trump was elected 45th President of the United States in November. (Side note: I’ll never forget waking up in a hungover haze at Glastonbury Festival, checking my phone for the Brexit results, and just bursting into tears at the shock and hopelessness of it all. Ugghhh.)

Black Mirror, anyone?

After the disaster that was 2k16, it stands to reason that 2k17 will be a year of worldwide success and joy, right? Well, I am determined to make this year better than the last; it really couldn’t be worse. Last year left me bent and bruised emotionally, but the thing about taking a beating is that, afterwards, you must stand up and dust yourself off – otherwise you’ll be lying there in the dirt letting the world treat you as its doormat for the rest of forever.

I’m proud to have already started by taking this year by the horns and turning it in a positive direction. I began cognitive behavioural therapy and a course of new medication in a bid to fight an anxiety disorder and mild depression which have ruled my life for years. Both are going pretty well for now – look out for a future post dedicated to all things mental health.
In October, J and I adopted two adorable degus, who have proved to not only be gorgeous and mischievous but also quite therapeutic in their own right!
Tomorrow is mine and J’s five-year anniversary (!).
I’ve started learning Italian with the help of Duolingo, and plan on learning Cornish later in the year.
Glasto 2017 is the main motivation to keep going to the gym we joined last summer (I know, right). 

So 2017 is already looking up! The importance of bending but not allowing yourself to break completely has never been felt more fully. There were times last year where I truly thought nothing would ever be good or bright again – but here we are, blinking in the hazy January sunshine after spending a year in a dark, shadowy cave. We are human. We weather the storms life throws at us and ride them out because we know there will always be sunshine after: a reward for not breaking in two.

Sorry not sorry for all the clichés in this post! Was your 2016 a storm, or were you walking on sunshine? If you have any ideas for future blogs or TFTs, let me know in a comment.
Also, please do check out the new blog I’ve set up for our degus and give it some love!

x

1st March 2016 - we're (finally) here!

Hello, lovelies!

Well, that was a hectic week and a bit…There’s a little bit to catch up on, so will try and give you the short version!

Source

So, Saturday before last (20^th) was getting to be one of the worst days ever by the time I eventually walked through the front door in good ol’ Kernow. It. Was. Hellish. Picture a fraught pair of twentysomethings, hungover and tired as hell, trying desperately to pack a tiny flat’s worth of possessions into a Ford Fiesta while the weather is as uncooperative as possible and working flat-out in order to catch various flights and trains. Add to that picture assorted emotions (sad, stressed, worried, hopeless realisation that not all the stuff will fit in the car, anger at losing a wallet, relief at finding it again) and remember that breakfast just hadn’t happened – it occurred to me later that I hadn’t actually eaten a proper meal in two days by this point – and you’ve pretty much got the gist of how horrifically awful Saturday 20^th February 2016 was. I missed the first train completely, and had to inevitably deal with rail replacement buses for half of the journey anyway. By the time I got home I was absolutely spent…

Cats and Chinese food helped the recovery process along, though. Can’t recommend highly enough the medicinal healing power of cuddling kitties and scarfing down hot noodles.

The rest of last week passed relatively uneventfully, and was mostly spent acclimatising to the new working from home arrangements. Tell you what, it seems amazing now that I ever had to go to work without slippers on! It all seems to be going well at any rate, if a little unusual that there’s no longer a commute to have to deal with. Plus it’s just a huge relief to not have to worry about where money will come from when there’s enough to be thinking about as it is…

And then, before we knew it, Saturday 27^th rolled around and it was officially time to move! After a freezing hour-and-a-half’s wait at Bristol station (seriously, why are there no seats or cafés to spend long waits in at that station!? Sort it out, BTM), J and I were reunited and set off on the drive to the Midlands. Right precarious drive that was, too: he couldn’t see anything out of the back window due to it being piled high with our things, and I had a suitcase perched on my lap for two and a half hours and cried on and off for multiple reasons for pretty much the duration of the journey. Yayyy.

After spending the majority of Sunday at IKEA (and failing to purchase anything of any decent use except three curtain poles), we’re more or less beginning to find our feet at last. Tomorrow we have some big, important things being delivered (a bed! A fridge-freezer! A washing machine!), so it’ll be my first proper day in the house which should be interesting. Can’t wait to have everything finally put away in its proper place and looking homely and cosy at last.

As the process of unpacking and making a house a home can be dull for some people, thought I might try and mix things up a bit by maybe doing a little house haul here and there, or documenting the process of turning our new place into something special. If there’s anything specific you’d like to see here with regards to home, decorating etc, let me know in the comments section below!

x

16th February 2016 – Grown-up shopping spree (and the true importance of pancakes)!

Hello, lovelies!

The weekend just gone taught me quite a few things about being a grown-up. I can now tell you the difference between a pocket-sprung and an open coil mattress (if that’s something you’d ever be interested in; frankly, I wouldn’t blame you if it wasn’t), and get actively excited at the prospect of having a washing machine which can contain 9kg instead of 7. I have perched on every type of sofa imaginable – comfy or otherwise – and positively marvelled over how tall some fridge-freezers can be. I was dwarfed by some of those beasts, dwarfed!

Of course, you can’t go on a proper grown-up shopping trip to buy proper grown-up things like beds and vacuums without a good, solid foundation, so before doing anything we headed to our favourite local caff for a spot of brunch. I highly recommend pancakes before making any important life decisions; a good basis on which to make aforementioned decisions, pancakes.

Pancake Power! Deliciousness courtesy of Lounge, North St

And I was lucky enough to spend Sunday (aka 14th February, aka Valentine’s Day) wandering around Argos and Curry’s gazing at shiny new technology, all aimed at making your home life just that little bit easier. Who said romance was dead, eh. It’s a good job I can’t stand that particular holiday and refuse to partake in any more than a card to commemorate its occurrence…

After 4 years, think it's safe to say we know each other pretty well...

This weekend was definitely the most adult I’ve felt…ever. And it wasn’t actually as boring as I thought it would be (to an extent. I mean, there really is only so excitement to be felt when viewing countless washing machines which, for the most part, look identical and, when it comes down to it, all do the same thing) – although that was probably due to it being an inevitability. At some point the big important house appliances were always going to have to be purchased, and that time has come for J and I. The new place is totally unfurnished which, when you’re used to solely looking at properties that are fully- or at least part-furnished, is quite daunting. But now we’re in a position where we have to get these things or otherwise starve in dirty clothes, the prospect of being an adult and buying adult things (house things; minds promptly out of gutters, please) actually all becomes less scary and more practical. Something you just have to do at some point in life.

Plus it’s definitely helping things relating to The Move become much more tangible. We’re picking the keys up on Thursday (two days!!) and it’s all becoming so much more real now. It’s my last day in the office tomorrow. We’ve started saying our ‘see you laters’ to friends we’ve made (it’s not really ‘goodbye’ if you’re planning on coming back someday, and that’s not off the table just yet). We’re really doing this.
Eek.

Have you had the joyous experience of buying your first furniture yet? Have you got any useful pro tips on moving house? Leave suggestions in the comments below!

x

Keep up to date with my house move on Twitter!

Is there anybody there!? - life updates and news

Hello, lovelies!

It’s me, Emma. The administrator and owner of Dreaming Between the Daisies. The one who is supposed to run and maintain this blog with frequent updates.

Yea. Sorry.

Things have been somewhat hectic since the last post in November (November, oh my god…). When you’re 24 you expect life to fluctuate a lot, but I never envisaged this amount of change in such a small space of time.

To give you the shortest of short stories: J and I are relocating from Bristol to Nottingham. Ah’m movin’ oop Nawth! This, as you can imagine, is terrifying for someone who, up until now, has lived solely in the South West and never once dreamt that anything other would be on the cards. How wrong I was. There’s been a ridiculous amount to sort out in the last two months, all on top of Christmas. Didn’t even get to write pretty festive posts or inspirational New Year ones, which was gutting! It’s been stupidly crazy, and this little corner of internet space has subsequently been neglected.

Again: sorry.

As we’ll be moving up to Notts at the end of February, and with everything mostly sorted and less mental as they’ve been since late last year, I thought now would be a good time to kickstart the blog with a life update and a bit of a general reboot.

2016 already looks set to be full of adventure - what will be around the next corner?

Although I’m lucky enough to have been able to keep my current job and will be working from home for the most part, I also want to be able to spend more of my free time concentrating on writing.

Do you believe in signs? Am not entirely sure I do – I hesitate to use the word ‘omens’, and am aware of the notion of a bias wherein you form an idea and then there seem to be lots of things relating to that idea everywhere you go; but, lately, there are a hell of a lot of things tapping into my passion for writing and seeming to point down that route. The last three books I’ve read – all by different authors – have featured journalism or writing in some form as a career. One girl was on the radio earlier this week discussing her job as a trainee journalist. All this, honestly, is pranging me out somewhat. The best and most enjoyable element of my current job is the creative side: having the opportunity to write articles which are publishing on the company website. Having the freedom to be really challenged and stimulate my mind after a considerable time is so refreshing, and it’s helped me understand that this is actually what I want to be doing with my life. Stories have been such a massive and important part of my being since I was old enough to hold a book that it now seems almost imperative that that’s what I focus my career around: relating information (fictional or otherwise) to others.

That’s the main reason this blog was started in the first place: to engage with an audience through a creative means. So we’re going to bring it back in style and take it right back to its roots (even though, granted, it’s still young enough to have barely really blossomed yet; the roots are practically still visible!). For the present time I might use it in the form of a diary, supplying it with life updates and the little snippets of newness every day will bring in the run up to and immediately following The Move. There will still be practical posts, as I really enjoy the kind of show-and-tell pieces –there are going to a lot of things we need to get for the new place, so expect a few house-related hauls! – and am going to try a new cupcake recipe for next week’s leaving-the-office cake fest, so, if all goes well, I’ll pen a little piece to share with you.

I’m genuinely sorry for letting this slip lately; even if it’s only small, it’s important to me. Am annoyed that everything got too much to be able to fully contribute and focus on it of late. This is my sincere and determined promise to really make a go of this blog from hereon in; no matter how complicated and stressful life gets, it’ll be good to know that there’s a little sanctuary of calm just waiting here.

In the meantime, I’d love to hear any ideas for things people want to see here. Does the format of a diary work for you, or do you prefer the structured, non-rambling posts? Any pro tips on moving house (or, indeed, what Nottingham is like to live in!) would also be extremely appreciated.

x

Keep up to date with my house move on Twitter!

Thought for Thursday – don’t give up on dreaming

Hello, lovelies!

We’ll gloss right over how shamefully neglectful I've been of this space in the last few months, shall we? New month’s resolution: be better at bloggin’!

Thought I’d come back all guns blazing with a new weekly series, something to jazz up dreary Thursdays before the weekend kicks in, which I'm calling ‘Thought for Thursday’ (TFT). In essence, this will be a little weekly bit of honest motivational or emotional writing which may strike a chord with you, and might even prove beneficial in some way (which would be amazing!). If you need a bit of a lift as the week’s dragging on, or a bit of advice for something, or I’m just feeling ponderous and want to share my thoughts with you all, this will be the place.

This week, I’ve had one particular phrase on my mind: ‘dream big’. All over social media it seems that people are doing incredible things, going to stunning places, doing crazy but wonderful things, and generally living their dreams before 2015 passes away. For a few months I’ve felt a bit…lost, I guess, and seeing gorgeous photos of foreign, exotic places on Instagram and people on Facebook getting engaged at Disneyland stands as a reminder that there’s no time like the present to act on your dreams. And, if it’s just not possible to act on your ambitions yet for whatever reason, it’s still completely fine to keep dreaming – and, for god’s sake, dream big.

Went all artsy with fairy lights and typography. Love me some typography.

2016 is peeking around the corner now, and looms bigger on the horizon every day. It’s a smidgen bit early to be thinking about New Year’s resolutions, but I would very much like things to change next year. It’s easy to want change, but to make it happen is something very different, so in 2016 I’ve decided to (to put it eloquently) make shit happen.

Lately I’ve had a lot of time for reflection on life. More and more people from school are settling down, making families etc, and that’s not happening in my life just yet – but that’s okay, because I’ve got a lot of living left to do yet. 2016 will see my 25th birthday (holy Jesus on a boat…), and there’s a lot I want to have done by the big 2-5. I’m thinking Paris in spring, New York at Christmas, and maybe France for a long summer weekend. I want to float around the house like a princess with a latte in one hand and a cat in the other – Christ, I want a house, full stop!

I’m dreaming big at the minute because soon the time for dreaming will be over, and I’ll have to start being responsible for other people. At the minute am finding it hard enough to look after myself without the terrifying addition of kids (thinking long-term here, chill out), and I want to be able to live out my dreams and ambitions – huge and unattainable as they might seem at the moment – while there’s still time, and I don’t have to worry about being grown up and paying bills and getting grass stains out of clothes which, not gonna lie, is harder than it sounds. It’s so important to dream, to have things to which you aspire, even if they’re not as big and grand as travel or buying your first house; you may dream of promotion at work, or being brave enough to try new food. Having goals and ambitions to work towards gives life meaning: we can always better ourselves, and how else will we do that than by dreaming big and facing challenges head on?

All together now...

I’m sick of feeling lost and stuck in a rut. Am totally fed up with having to live by the rules of the dreaded ‘A’ word: anxiety (I’m not going to go into that right here and now, but there may be another TFT concerning having an ““anxiety disorder”” in due course). The new year is still a few weeks away yet, but now is the time to start planning to make my 2015 dreams a reality in 2016 – and they’re going to be BIG!

What are your dreams and aspirations, for next year or in ten years’ time? Are there things you want to change in 2016, or are your dreams more down-to-earth? I’d love to hear your thoughts on the subject of dreaming big, and the idea of TFT as a whole, in the comments below!

x

The good, the bad, and the downright Kanye – Glastonbury 2015

Hello lovelies!

Well, it’s been just over a week now, and have just about recovered from the events of last weekend. I love the holiday atmosphere when you’re at Glastonbury (especially when you’re as lucky with the weather as we were this year; could definitely get used to chilling out in the sunshine dozing to Hozier!), but not such a fan of the post-festival blues that inevitably strike a few days later. I think one of the weirdest elements of Glasto is the Monday after, when you wake up and there is no live music wafting around the site or shouts of delight from the circus field, and instead there’s this sense of a post-apocalyptic exodus as hundreds of weary, dirty folk trudge towards the carpark gates with their life possessions on their backs or being pulled behind them on ancient, mud-encrusted trollies.

Our campsite's stunning view of the Pyramid Stage overlooked by Glastonbury Tor. Take me back! 

This year was so much fun, though! We explored a lot more this year than last, happening upon things like the silent disco which quickly became one of my all-time favourite things to do ever. Seriously, moshing out to Rage Against The Machine whilst everyone else is bopping along to Angels was an incredible feeling, and I will forever think twice about wearing heels in place of sweet, comfortable Converse every time a night out is on the cards in the future. We gasped whilst eight girls balanced on top of one tiny bicycle and hurtled around the Big Top, and we very quickly learnt that if Fatboy Slim ends up doing a secret set on the Blues stage it really won’t stay secret for very long, so good luck trying to get in to see that if you’re late to the party…

Apart from all the side attractions we ended up seeing this year, the backbone of Glasto – the music itself – was absolutely brilliant. For the most part, anyway. I wanted this post to be a kind of mini music review for some of the acts we caught at Worthy Farm this time around, so I’ve selected a few of the best (and worst) of Glastonbury 2015.

Florence & The Machine

The second Dave Grohl reluctantly confirmed that the Foo Fighters would have to pull out of headlining Glastonbury due to Dave’s broken leg, I’ll admit it: I was devastated. Everything this year had led up to us seeing the almighty Foo, and I know I’m not alone in feeling more than slightly gutted that they wouldn’t be able to continue their already brief stint in Europe. When Florence was announced as their replacement, the overwhelming reaction was negative, and I initially agreed – they weren’t a rock band, they weren’t prolific enough to replace the Foo Fighters let alone headline the biggest festival in the world, the organisers had clearly just panicked, etc. We turned up at the Pyramid Stage with sky-high expectations, but my god, were they fulfilled.

Florence was fantastic. At no point did she underestimate the size of the shoes she was filling, but she took everything in her stride and won the crowd over in just a few songs. The energy she displayed throughout the whole set was mesmerising – I was shattered just watching her (although the Buxton bottle full of warm vodka lemonade may not have helped with this, granted) – and her voice, holy hell. That girl’s not half got a pair of lungs on her! By the time Flo was trilling through ‘Sweet Nothing’, I was sold. Even their cover of the Foo’s ‘Times Like These’ was wonderful, and I’d previously been dubious about Florence’s ability to make a Foos song her own. It was a gentle homage, not a tacky rip-off: an almost haunting version of a rock classic. Finally, the encore of ‘Dog Days’, with thousands of people yelling the lyrics drunk on joy and cheap cider, was immense. We even got a peek at Florence’s own machines as she raced around the stage topless…

Circa Waves

A total misreading of the line-up guide meant that, instead of seeing Wolf Alice as originally intended, we ended up catching the last fifteen minutes of Circa Waves’ set on the John Peel Stage. Not being a massive fan of what I’d usually dub ‘plinky plonky indie noise’ as a rule, Circa Waves made for a surprisingly good performance. On the radio their music comes across as a little try-hard for my taste – another secondary school band thinking they’re all that because they’ve got their fifteen minutes in the spotlight. But live, they’re really quite different. Much heavier, much more experimentation with guitar solos, an infectious, upbeat energy that lights their audience up. It probably helped that by the time ‘T-shirt Weather’ was played the sun had reappeared after an otherwise exceedingly damp day, and the crowd lapped up the relevance, bopping away in appreciation. Would rather have seen Wolf Alice to satiate my inner crooning emo, but Circa Waves were a nice surprise and I’m not disappointed to have ended up at the wrong stage and seeing them.

J and I fully poncho'd up during Circa Waves. #GlastoChic

Twin Atlantic

My total highlight of the entire festival was standing four rows from the front as a Glaswegian foursome rocked the Other Stage to the best of their little Scottish abilities whilst Lionel Richie was asking 125,000 other people if it was him they’d been looking for over on Pyramid.

We discovered Twin Atlantic accidentally last year as they filled Chromeo’s spot on John Peel last-minute, and they ended up being all levels of awesome. This year, however, they outdid themselves. Despite being in a huge field and performing on a huge stage, TA’s gig felt oddly intimate and their audience was nowhere near as large as I’d expected it to be – probably mainly due to being up against Mr Richie, which is bad luck on their part. But they still managed to win their comparatively small crowd over by making eye contact, and commenting on the youngest member (ten years old and strapped to his dad’s chest in the front row. Rock on, little dude). My personal favourite moment came in the form of a slow, balladic version of ‘Crash Land’, which united band and crowd alike and, alright, brought a small, singular tear to my eye. Absolutely cracking performance – hoping to see the boys from Glasgow on Pyramid next year!

Pharrell

For a lot of Mr Williams’ set, all anyone around us could talk about was how good he looks, and they’re right – 42 years old and the guy could still pass for 25. Maybe Pharrell’s secret is his passion for making great music (I mean, it could be…), but either way he was both looking and sounding on point on the Saturday evening. The atmosphere was electric as Pharrell pulled out some classic tracks; from his N.E.R.D days, right up to performing his latest single, ‘Freedom’. A pumped-up audience screaming that eponymous word, buoyed by Pharrell’s insistence that ‘English girls are the most beautiful of all’, finally reduced the main man to tears as his set ended – which was actually a beautiful moment. It had clearly hit home to him where he was and what he was doing, and seeing someone give so much of a damn about doing what they love was wonderful. Lots of respect to the guy, he’s obviously in the right business. The tears quickly dried as he launched into the much-anticipated encore of ‘Happy’, complete with a group of young children onstage, most of whom shared the same bewildered expression (‘who is this man and why is he singing the Minions song?’) but were all adorable and instantly won the hearts of the crowd. Pharrell definitely looked happy enough as he strolled offstage with his backing dancers in tow, and who could blame him? It was the performance of the night. 

Kanye West

Which is more than can be said for Kanye West’s set; which, if I’m being totally honest, paled into comparison next to Pharrell. Despite playing to one of the biggest crowds of the entire festival, Kanye’s blasé and self-indulgent performance left the majority of the audience asking the same questions: ‘what the hell was that!?’; and, ‘what was the point?’.

A friend who was also at Glastonbury summed up Kanye’s headline act in one short, really pretty accurate statement – ‘it was like Kanye was rehearsing to a mirror in his garden shed’. That’s the best way I can think of to describe the two hours of The Kanye Show we bore witness to. Whereas Pharrell relished the crowd and at times shared the same disbelieving look as James Bay had worn so endearingly the day before, Kanye barely acknowledged his audience at all the entire time. Except, of course, to inform us all during the finale of how we were ‘watching the greatest living rock star on the planet’. Ever heard of Motorhead, buddy? The Who? Foo Fighters? Great men, great actual rock stars, who had played or were going to play that same stage after decades of making incredible music instead of mediocre rap. The mind boggles, it really does.

Our view of Kanye. This is about as impressive as the light show managed...

The thing about Kanye is that he actually started out fairly strongly: after an hour’s wait the crowd was treated to a bank of warm white lights beaming down on the solitary figure onstage as he launched into ‘Stronger’, and screams of delight and satisfaction (hell, probably a fair few of pleasant surprise too) filled the air. Unfortunately, however, the performance took a definitive nose-dive after the opening tune. The beginning of a song would start, the crowd would go wild – and Kayne would perform half of it at most before stopping and starting a whole new one. This trick got very boring, very quickly. The lack of anything visual to enjoy didn’t help matters: would a couple of lasers have killed ya? Cos that haze of plain white definitely did not make you stronger, Mr West. It was a boring set, with boring lights and a boring set-list -all that autotuned mess which took up the main body of the gig was plain ridiculous, and had people around us leaving in scores muttering about feeling ripped off. Honestly, I don’t blame them at all. Even the cherry picker stunt wasn’t especially impressing, mostly because it made the crowd feel more alienated than ever as Kanye soared jerkily over the heads of thousands of confused Glasto-goers, looking noticeably uncomfortable as he clung on and got through most of ‘Touch the Sky’ before appearing back onstage. If Florence had done something like that everyone would have been going crazy; Kanye just had everyone going, ‘what the fuck…?’ I won’t even mention the half-assed cover of Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ for fear of imploding with rage.

So, there we have it. Another Glastonbury over, complete with mental headliners and awesome new discoveries. Will I be going again next year? You’d better believe it – Glasto fever is a hard one to shake! Will Kanye West ever be asked back? I sincerely and honestly hope not.

Did you go to Glasto this year, or were you happy to catch it on TV from the comfort of your own sitting room? Who were your high- and low-lights of 2015? Let me know in the comments!

x 

Music, Mayhem, and Mud – a Guide to Surviving Glastonbury

Hello lovelies!

It’s that time of year again! Tents poles are being untangled, wellies still coated in mud from last year are being dusted off, and the country’s baby wipe supply is rapidly depleting. Which can only mean one thing: it’s festival season once more!

Up until last summer I had only watched the festivals on TV, envious of all the tanned, euphoric (probably totally spannered) people loving life at Download, V, Run to the Sun, and Isle of Wight. But then, twelve months ago, I got the chance I’d been waiting for: tickets to the biggest and best festival of them all – Glastonbury.

And it was mental. Like absolutely nothing I’d ever experienced before. So many people had shared nuggets of info and advice prior to setting off, but nothing anyone says can prepare you for the sheer awesomeness of Glasto. Picture a city made entirely of canvas and mud, add in streets of food and handmade jewellery stalls interspersed with huge open-air stages, and that’s roughly it. Oh, plus an average of 100,000 people on-site at any given time. A far cry from the tame familiarity of Brownie Camp for little ol’ me…

As a total festival virgin amongst many Glastonbury old-hands last year, I learnt lots of useful tips for surviving the weekend at Worthy Farm. So this year I’ve put together a little guide which might help anyone popping their Glasto cherry. Even if you’re a seasoned festival-goer – or, to use a term coined on the office Twitter lately, a #GlastoGeek – feel free to have a nose. You never know, you might even get a couple of ideas!

Wet wipes and dry shampoo

These two are first and foremost on the list because god knows you’re going to need them at Glasto, and woe betide you if you’ve only brought a travel size Batiste.

Baby wipes are ridiculously cheap in high street chemists and supermarkets, and a decent-size pack ought to see you through the weekend. If you can, try and find a small packet to carry around with you during the day as well as a big one which can live in your tent. They’re lightweight and ideal for a quick cleanse when needs be – though you’ll still have a solid layer of grime come Monday!

Dry shampoo is a godsend on most days, but it’s never needed more than when at a festival. Don’t bother attempting to wash your hair in the communal running water troughs – it’s pretty annoying for everyone having to wait, and at the end of the day everyone will be in the same greasy, slightly whiffy boat (I’m really selling it here, aren’t I…). Dry shampoo will end up making your hair stick out at all angles and it’ll be a dry, unruly bird’s nest by the end, but it does help manage the grease situation and masks some of the old, unwashed hair smell which becomes inevitable for guys and girls alike!

Hand sanitiser

This was a bit of a spur-of-the-moment purchase just before leaving last year, but it turned out to be really useful to have when out and about on-site. You can get tiny bottles of antibacterial hand sanitiser gel for pennies from places like Boots or Superdrug – I picked this one up at Wilkos for a grand total of 50p, and it smells delicious as well as keeps your mitts nice and clean! When the hand-washing facilities become a bit mud-encrusted, or there’s a massive queue, or the soap has gone AWOL, this stuff is perfect and doesn’t take up your entire bag.

Pro Plus

When the weekend starts you’ll be on a natural high from the festival atmosphere and the tasty food and amazing music, but as the nights wear on and you end up crawling into bed later and later only to not be able to sleep because the sun has already risen, caffeine will quickly become your best friend. There are numerous coffee/tea outlets around the site, but a quick buzz from Pro Plus will do you wonders (though don’t, whatever you do, wash down a tablet with coffee. Take it from me, the crash from that combo is worse than any lack of sleep!).

Sunhat

Not wanting to sound like your mother here, but if you’re going to be out in the sunshine (it’s not entirely unknown for the sun to make an appearance at Glastonbury, believe it or not) then don’t forget a hat. Heatstroke is a horrible thing to have and will ruin your day if not your whole weekend if you’re unlucky enough to come down with it. Go for a pretty, flowery straw hat (I'm a bit in love with this one) for a really chilled festival vibe or a more retro baseball cap so you can be bang on trend and sun-savvy all at once!

Snacks and water

Instead of having spent your entire budget on food and/or cider by the Friday morning, take along some lightweight snacks to keep you going through the day. Cereal bars are ideal for a bit of a sweet energy hit, and the odd apple once in a while will make you feel better for the inevitable pizza/burger/pasta/Chinese take-out diet you’ll be surviving on over the weekend.

Bring a decent size water bottle with you to sip from – it’s common sense really, but if the sun does happen to come out you’ll be thankful for a drink of water after pints of the local cider which, although tasty, will dehydrate you even more. WaterAid stands around the site will fill up water bottles for free so it’s definitely worth making the most of one if you happen to be stumbling by.

Go with the flow

On entry to the festival you’ll be given a little booklet detailing all the acts on all the stages over the weekend, as well as tips on what non-music-based things are going on at the same time. My advice in this respect, though, would be to not plan what you’re going to do in minute detail– just try and see where the day takes you. Obviously make time for the acts you’re desperate to see, and it’s okay to basically plan around them, but it’s fun to sometimes go off agenda and find something new. By exploring a bit you could come across a new band to fall in love with, or see some cool circus act, or discover something to eat you’ve never tried before. There’s so much to see and do at Glastonbury there’s not really much point in making hour-by-hour plans. Just go off with a couple of mates for a wander and see where you end up. It’s the best place to just relax and soak up the atmosphere.

Thick skin

Seriously, take everything with a pinch of salt at festivals – you might find you’ll struggle a bit if you start letting things like dirt, drunk people, and deplorable toilets get to you. There are no airs and graces to be had at Glastonbury, so don’t start panicking that you’ve got a speck of mud on your pristine shorts or that the smell from the long drop is too much for your delicate nostrils to bear. No-one else will care, and neither should you: there are way more important things to consider, and most important of all is making sure you’re having the best fun and making the most of everything.

Even though the Foo Fighters are no longer headlining (excuse me whilst I traverse a lake of tears in a boat of broken dreams), I’m so excited for this time next week when we’ll have set up camp and gone exploring whilst it’s still relatively quiet.

Are you going to a festival this year, Glastonbury or otherwise? Have you got any advice to add to my list? Stick it in a comment – I’d love to hear any pearls of wisdom from Glasto veterans!
x

June Favourites

Source

Hello lovelies!

As summer is just peeking its way around the corner and the sun has been making a (very welcome) appearance in our skies these last few days, I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate the almost-summertime than with a Favourites blog. The shops are brimming with treats and all things cute and colourful at the moment, and the thought of long clear days and lazy hazy evenings is getting me all excited! With Glastonbury at the end of the month to prepare for (and hopefully a couple of ill well-spent evenings spent nursing a cold cider in a little pub garden somewhere), I hope this post brings a bit of early summer sunshine for you too =)

Book

Pillars of the Earth - Ken Follett

I know, I know. This was a party which started a good while ago now, and I'm only just turning up with hair like a bird's nest and a different shoe on each foot. Most people have already left by now, and there are two kinds of people remaining: the latecomers (ie yours truly), and those who have passed out on a sofa with their half-finished can of Carlsberg slowly soaking into the carpet.

But oh buddy boy, am I glad I finally got here. This book is special, and is nothing quite like I've ever read before. It's not a fantasy, despite the time period giving it a distinctly Game of Thrones-esque atmosphere. It is a history novel, set in the simple times of early England, but Follett doesn't force the facts down your throat and choke you with truth. The realism within it makes the novel extremely human: accessible to the reader whilst encouraging empathy, rage, and honest laughter in quick succession, all the while unwittingly learning the trials endured whilst faced with the task of building the cathedrals we still know today.  

Song

New York Raining - Charles Hamilton feat. Rita Ora

This song, oh wow. It hearkens to Alicia Keys' Empire State of Mind Pt. II, in that it's slightly bittersweet or even melancholic: that bleak image of Manhattan in the pouring rain is all too easy to picture. But at its heart it's a love song - quite an elegant, charming kind of love song - and that's all you want sometimes.All over my Spotify, this one is. 

Perfume

 Fleur de Figuier - Roger & Gallet (Marks and Spencer)

Obviously relatively difficult trying to describe a smell...Can I just put 'gorgeous'? 'Cos this is just that. This scent smells exactly like sun-warmed blackberries (at least, it does to me. Given it's meant to smell more like fig leaves that could be well off, but y'know. Each to their own). With pretty, pastel-coloured packaging, this is the sort of perfume you'd use on a sultry summer's evening, probably in your best friend's garden whilst the barbecue is being fired up and everyone's all barefoot and relaxed. 

Treats for the nose, eyes, and tongue!

Fruit

Honestly, I'm not sure why I'm into Pink Lady apples so much recently. Having never really tried them before, and only having one by accident, I've really taken a shine to these little delights. 

It being fresh fruit season in general, I'm loving the variety of all the tasty fruits on offer atm. Mangoes, strawbs, blueberries, raspberries, watermelon...Summer tastes so damn good!

And speaking of good-tasting things...

Drink

Twinings Salted Caramel green tea

Having never really been much of a green tea drinker in the past, but being a perpetual lover of salted caramel, I was a little cautious when first trying this. But when I did, it blew my little mind.

In the UK we've got hard toffee sweets called Werthers Originals (a staple of grannies nation-wide), and this tastes exactly like them. It's like drinking liquid caramel and is utterly delicious. Then you remember that, whilst it tastes like the nectar of the gods, it's also green tea and therefore über good for you, so you can be a little bit smug as you sip. "Had my green tea fix for the day, win! What's that? Spinach wrap yoga followed by meditative quinoa salad? Don't mind if I do!"

Place

At the end of last month, J and I moved to a new flat in a completely different part of the city and have spent the last couple of weeks making it feel more like home. So, this month, my favourite place to be is the sitting room! An article from Pinterest mentioned dedicating one particular room to being as cosy and snug as possible, so you always have a place where you’re able to fully relax even if everything around you is still full of faff and hassle. It’s an oddly triumphant feeling when you look around and just see your things, your life’s collection of bits and pieces, instead of everything being mixed with the possessions of others.

It’s snug/bijoux/a smidgen bit weeny, but it’s also warm, comfortable, and safe. Somewhere I’m genuinely happy to be. There are flowers, and the sun comes in first thing in the morning, and my books are in pride of place. There’s always tea in the pot. More to the point, there’s actually a teapot! I’ve always wanted a teapot of my own to use and love! It even has a tea cosy!!

Getting a bit carried away here. It’s the little things, isn’t it…

What are your favourites this month? Are you just as excited for the sunshine?

x

The beginning of an era...

Hello, and welcome to my blog and my First Ever Blog Post! (Warning: it's gonna be a bit of a long 'un...)

Never one to turn down a good selfie op

This is ever-so-slightly daunting, if I'm being honest. Far too much time has been spent pondering what to write for this maiden post, and even more time has been passed consumed with worry and concern that no-one will care about my little corner of internet space, and it will tarnish and fade into oblivion with barely any 
time to have gotten itself remembered at all.

And then I thought, 'Emma...Instead of nearly having an emotional breakdown about what could potentially happen (or, as the case may be, not happen), why don't you pipe down and just do it?'.

So here I am, just doing it!

Right, here we go. My name, as the more astute amongst you have no doubt noticed, is Emma. I am currently twenty-three years old, and live in Bristol in the UK but originally hail from Cornwall (which in my obviously completely unbiased opinion is the most stunning and wonderful place ever in the history of places).
Now, honestly, as a result of living a relatively sheltered existence in Cornwall up until January 2014, city living is utterly terrifying to me. I've nothing against cities as places to visit and see the sights of, but living in one is a different kettle of fish altogether. It's busy, scary, dirty, claustrophobic, and all just a little bit too much to a country bumpkin such as myself - someone who is very used to looking out the window and seeing rolling green fields, and never being more than a few miles from the seaside, and peace and birdsong instead of sirens and drunk people rolling out of the bar downstairs at two in the morning.

So for a while I've been wanting, craving, an outlet. Somewhere I can unleash all my thoughts and feelings, somewhere I can be comfortable and safe when writing down everything in my head. Somewhere for reviews, opinions, recipes, stories, photos, adventures and ideas.
And, after a fair amount of umming and ahhing, Dream Between the Daisies was born! I'm so excited to start this little endeavour - to go on a adventure, and maybe even learn a few things along the way.

Now, enough of my background for the time being. I'm sure more personal bits and pieces will come to light as things go on. Let's get on to what you can expect from this blog:

• Books I am a huge bookworm, and immensely proud of it! At university I studied English Literature, and fulfilled a lifelong dream in doing so. Books are my world, and my literary collection is my most prized possession. As part of this project I want to include reviews of some of my all-time faves and brand spanking new discoveries after a good Waterstones browse.
• Recipes Under no circumstances am I the new Nigella or Delia, but cooking and baking are quite important elements of my life as a developing adult. Spending hours on Pinterest finding new things to try is a boring interest of mine, and anything food-related which turns out especially well might just being shared with you lovely lot.
• Favourites A bit of a guilty pleasure of mine is spending an inordinate amount of time poring over bloggers and their 'monthly favourites': a sample of particular things a person has been really into that month. I'd love to try something like that on here, a list of bits and bobs that have floated my boat of late.
• Hair and beauty Not the girliest girl by any means, but there's something about pretty eye palettes, summery plaits, and nail polish designs which I enjoy on a very simple level. Here I might write a few tips and tricks, and take a few photos of things that turn out especially nicely. 
• Cats I love cats. Well, all animals really, but I'm very much a cat person at heart. Cats.
• Life bits and tips Sometimes I want to be able to share opinions or life hacks, or just give you a little insight into what's going on on Planet Emma. This next year is looking set to be a pretty exciting one already (#nospoiler), and if this blog is going to develop, I want it to be like going on a journey - a journey I'd love for you to come along on! 

Phew. That's a lot of writing up there, isn't it. Let's bring this First Blog Post to an end for now.

Thank you very much for checking out my internet corner - I'm aiming to be writing a couple of posts a week for now, so will be back very soon!
In the meantime, have a peep at my other internet abodes: Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Love, me x