June 2015

Photos from my Instagram

It wasn't until a friend mentioned to me the other day that we are now halfway through the year (and halfway to Christmas!), that I realised the rather alarming rate at which June sped by. One minute it was 'shall I take a jacket in case it rains', the next it was 'denim is just too warm for this weather', aaand now it's nearly July. I'm rather excited for July - it's a month which will see me turn 22, and it feels great (I was that person having a panic over turning 21 - it's a defining milestone of becoming an adult), I've got the feeling that 22 is going to be a more relaxed and carefree age.

So, here's my June favourites...

Snippets

-I've been far more productive with my time after the little clock on my bedside table has broken. It's odd, in that I think not being constantly aware of the time has made me more proactive, rather than looking at the clock and thinking 'I can get away with ten more minutes sleep'.

-A trip out with my Dad saw us both get dressed that morning wearing head to toe denim, only both of us were too polite to have the whole 'one of us has to change' argument. It was far more amusing than it was embarrassing!

-Rediscovering a favourite local cafe of mine has made my month. Catching up with friends over a hazelnut milkshake is highly recommended (with maybe a slice of cake or two as well!)

Wearing

One of the biggest surprises of late is how much I am loving a nautical themed outfit, considering it used to be something I would steer well clear of. However, I've gone from one extreme to another, and nowadays not a day passes when you won't find me wearing either a breton stripe, heavy denim, or a ship's wheel brooch (I kid you not). Therefore, this sailing boat blouse from Zara (£9.99 from an in-store sale!) immediately caught my eye, and paired with the fact that it falls off the shoulders (one of my favourite silhouettes), was a must buy. It's a lovely lightweight fabric which is nice and breezy in the warm weather, and of course looks great when paired with denim of any kind. I like to ham up the nautical factor by pairing it with my pair of vintage red heels, and in this weather wearing sunglasses is de rigeuer.

Reading

Hard Times by Charles Dickens is undoubtedly the highlight of my reading list for University this year, and it's been a joy to get stuck into something longer than an extract of two or three pages. Whilst this is one of Dickens' shorter novels (in my case falling just over 200 pages), it is typical of his work, dealing with themes of class, education and Victorian politics. Being a shorter novel, Hard Times doesn't quite have the sheer scale and intricacy of woven storylines that other Dickens novels are famed for, but as far as the plot goes (following the lives of the Gradgrind family, and of the traveller girl they take into their care) it's still well worth a read, and as ever Dickens' descriptive language is quite like no other.

What have been your favourite recommendations lately?