I was really inspired by Bee's recent post all about her university friends and wanted to dedicate something to all the lovely people in my life who tolerate me. I did ask my non blog mates for some little quotes and anecdotes but they are lazy and just shouted in jokes at me and profanities, see what I have to put up with?!

First up is Emma, she's the one I'm always talking to on twitter about Dr Who and Jon Snow. The one who shares my not so secret love for the Britney album Blackout. The one who enables my staking of people from Dr Who and Harry Potter and the one who has to deal with all my bloke troubles and day to day moaning. Emma, you're a rock and cat loving saint! *Edit - Emma did provide a quote which just said 'you are a massive dis-concordant igneous intrusion' charming. (she studies Geology)

Next up is not just an ode to Al and Lauren but anyone I met at uni. I didn't really make many friends for life at halls or on my course but I made loads of friends when I worked at Topshop and by going to gigs in Cardiff. I miss dancing with you guys in Barfly to indie tunes from 2005.
  

I had the most WONDERFUL weekend! Two of my favourite ladies came to stay in Cardiff so I go to play host and show them around my city. Sophie and Emma both arrived on Saturday and we were far too busy eating, drinking and dancing to take photos so I've borrowed these ones from the girls instagram feed.


Obviously huge amounts of nibbles wasn't enough for greedy ol' me so we headed to Cadwaladers ice cream parlour for a tradition ice cream sundae. Apparently the vanilla ice cream has a secret recipe, including the addition of 6 lbs of "shan't tell you" and "a great deal of love and care." Cute! I rolled back to the hotel after all this food.

After some drinks in our hotel room we headed into town and danced the night away in Clwb Ifor Bach to some cheesy pop on the ground floor and the indie disco upstairs. I like to think that people in Cardiff showed the girls some nice Welsh hospitality. We ended up in McDondals at 4am so it was obviously a good night.

After all the drink and food on Saturday we needed more to cure out hangover so went to Cosy Club for  breakfast on Sunday and had  juice and breakfast which restored me to full health. I was sad to see the girls go home but I've got a feeling they will be back soon :)

The summer season is quickly approaching (although the rain would suggest otherwise) with a fresh line of dresses for every shape and size. Whether you’re looking for petite midi dresses or plus size maxi dresses; evening cocktail gowns or a practical every-day looks, there’s a range of styles out there for you.

I blame Caroline for my most recent purchase (and no will power) because ever since I saw an Orphan's Arms t-shirt on her blog I've become hooked and always pick up some of their items in the sales. I got this directly from their outlet shops which sells older designs. It was only £18 which I think is a steal for a hand printed jumper. I love all of their literary and historical designs and can't wait for their A/W collection which they have been giving us sneak peaks of over on instagram.

I also feel like the London School of Sorcery is where you go when you finish at Hogwarts and I'm studying Advanced Defence Against the Dark Arts or something... lame. HP is not real and I never got my letter to Howarts, sob. This is the perfect jumper for me because I'm always warm but this is made out of a thick t-shirt material so it's nice and light and doesn't make me have a hot flush.

I'm certainly not buying as many clothes as I used to so why do all my wages still disappear each month? It's because I've replaced clothes with my other favourite things: books, music, make up and trinkets.


Things I love right now:

1. Books

I've made my way through the first four Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire books and needed a break because they are so depressing  (I'm still upset about the Red Wedding) and I have been reading lots of fantasy by people like Neil Gaiman. I bought a few new books that are a little more light and fun to read on my commute and I'm thoroughly enjoying the mad world of Jenny Lawson in her book 'Let's Pretend This Never Happened'. As you can see I've got quite the pile building up and this is only half of my 'to read' books as I'm always picking up cheap copies on eBay and in charity shops.
I love taking a few minutes before bed each night to unwind fill in my Listography book, I certainly don't want my Mum reading some of this so it may need to be moved from my bedside table. Don't fancy her browsing the list of men I've kissed, how embarrassing! I could have done with about three pages for listing my favourite bands and books though.

I've been a big fan of the Curvy Kate Showgirl collection for a while which is pretty glamorous so I was on the look out for a more casual day/weekend style bra from Curvy Kate.Curvy Kate kindly provided me with a pretty set to review but before I get in to that I'm going to give you some background information on the brand. Launched in July 2009, Curvy Kate offers a collection of D – K cup lingerie designed specifically for the fuller bust. They are passionate about fit and every garment is tried and tested on naturally fuller busted women with only the best fitting designs go into their collections.

The Lottie lingerie set is lovely and spring like with the bright pink hues and floral print but you can also get it in black and white if you're feeling a little less adventurous. I normally get black sets so the Lottie is a colourful addition to my underwear selection.

I've had this dress in my wardrobe for nearly a month now and just not had the right occasion to wear it and didn't really know what to pair it with. I wanted to wear it with a t-shirt but it didn't look right with the mesh panel so I dug out my favourite smart blouse and come up with a slightly St Trinian's look. My old school uniform was black and white and the addition of a satchel definitely made me feel like a school girl. I have suffered through both new St Trinian's movies just because Paloma Faith and David Tennant are in them and I adore both of them.The dress is a bit of a bargain for £20 and would look great with a blazer and I might even try wearing a ribbon tied under my collar when I wear it next time.

I'm going on my annual trip to Torquay with a group of my best friends at the end of the month (we are lame and will name it #caravanclub2013) I can't wait for a relaxing weekend away were I wont have to get a flight or worry about connections on a train, I don't need to worry about dressing up, deadlines or counting calories. We hang around on the beach, have fish and chips and play bingo. It really is a case of the simple things in life are the best things.
My friends Sarah and Katilea who I go with have children and relish the peace and quiet on the adult only caravan site and we indulge in plenty of wine, nibbles and gossipping. Pretty much the best way to spend a weekend ever. It's also a annual tradition to sing really badly at karaoke and play bingo in the caravan club house. I love that we have a holiday just like OAPs all across the UK but we're only twenty five...

Here are some of my favourite photos from my 2011 and 2012 trips to Torquay:



In 2011 we went to Brixham for the day and last year we went quad biking. We loved the quad bikes last year and are looking for more activities to try this year. I'm thinking of hiring some skates or a bike and heading down the South West Coast path which stretches for 630 miles from Somerset to Dorset. Working up an appetite for a drink and meal in a lovely country pub. I'm also trying to persuade the girls to head to the ski slope and try sno-tubing for a bit of a unique experience. Heading to the beach, soaking up the rays (unlikely in the UK) and reading is always a must for our trip to Torquay as is going for a traditional afternoon tea in a quaint tea rooms. 

Have you been to Torquay before? What outdoor activities do you think I should try?

*thia post contains a paid link

Yesterday was the annual Library Assistants Away Day at Cardiff University and I helped to organise it for the second year. We normally go off campus but we thought it would be wise to have a free venue and blow our budget on tea, cake and lunch. Sensible. So we chose to have our away day on campus (free) in the beautiful Main Building. We had a variety of talks on things like medical illustration, how the school of Social Science is using Twitter for research and how working with artists is different to working with academics. But mainly the day was about cake, chatting with people from different libraries and  rounding off the academic year with some fun.




A few little facts for you about the Main Building at Cardiff University:

• Main Building today houses a number of Schools and Departments, including the School of Chemistry, the School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, part of the School of Biosciences, and the Vice-Chancellor’s Office.
• Main Building is a Grade II listed building.
• The message carved prominently in the Portland stone over the main entrance reads ‘Nerth gwlad ei gwybodaeth – A nation's strength is in its learning.’
• The Science Library is today home to approximately 37,000 loanable books, more than 1.2km of book shelves, and more than 1.5km of journals shelving.
• In February 1941 during the war, the long corridor above the library in Main Building caught fire from an incendiary device that had lodged in the roof. Off-duty students had to form chains of buckets to help put out the fire.

I wanted to look a little more formal than usual for the big day so I put my favourite fancy shoes on, my official looking bag, a smart dress and a crazed look. The crazy look in my eyes in a mixture of stress and mania. It's hard work organising events, how the hell does Emily Eavis manage to organise Glasto?!






Swoon, isn't she lovely? I like that I have a very traditional bag but I chose a bonkers colour. I can't wait for this to get worn in and have that battered look. I know that I'm going to enjoy using this for a very long time.



Everyone seemed to enjoy the cake, marshmallow challenge and the presentations. It's all over for another year, phew! I really enjoyed being in such beautiful surroundings and need to find another excuse to spend the day in the council chambers.

Best British Bloggers recently contacted me on behalf of Panache to see if I would like to try out their new new lingerie brand, Sculptresse. Sculptresse is a collection of lingerie for full-figured women, offering everything from everyday basics to fashion-forward lingerie. The brand looks to promote a healthy attitude of feeling beautiful while enhancing confidence with lingerie that blends the best of support, comfort and superior fit with feminine, flattering styles.

Sculptresse bra sizes range from 36 – 46” bands and D – J cups with briefs ranging from 14-26. Each product within the line has a variety of  features to ensure that the wearer feels comfortable and supported without compromising style, such as specially-shaped wings, cushioned hook-and-eyes, padded and adjustable straps etc

I chose the Panache Sculptresse Willow to review because I liked the vintage style shape and the fun colour. Pananche describe the Willow as 'bold and beautiful in a rich berry colour with lace print feminine panelling in a deeper shade. A contemporary take on a retro style, Willow allows a great uplifted shape for maximum support for 36-46" D-HH cups'

Here is the set:

The underwire sits nice and flush to my body and doesn't dig in at all. I got my regular size of 36FF and the band fits perfectly across the back and I'm not spilling over near my underarms or at the sides. I like the lift that the cup gives me courtesy of the three panels.

The only part that doesn't fit like a glove it the top half of the bra which is left a little empty due to my natural shape. This happens to me with almost all of my bras, I either spill over the top if I get an F or have a little room at the top with FF.

The bra costs around £35 and the briefs come in at £16.50 which isn't cheap but it's the average price I have to pay for a bra because I'm 36" and DD+ I really like the range and I hope their next collection is a little more sexy and has a few plunge or half cup bras as full cup bras like this one aren't ideal for the summer when I wear strappy dresses. It's also nice for the briefs to go up to a size 26 but I hope they extend this more to around 30+ if the range takes off. A lot of ranges cater to bigger cup sizes but it's nice to have more choice on the market for 36"+ and size 14+ ladies.