I went to see possibly one of my all time favourite bands play a couple of weeks ago, the Manic Street Preachers. We grew up in the same town (Blackwood, South Wales), studied similar things at university and I feel like a lot of the themes in their songs reflect me and where I come from. I would hope that if I was ever in a band we have a lot in common with the Manics. They've been releasing music for over 21 years now and I was a little worried about the more acoustic direction the new tracks were going in but I didn't need to worry. The set was filled with classic tracks, they played Revol instead of Faster for a home crowd and everyone there seemed to be a die hard fan. The highlight of the evening was hearing the new track, Rewind the Film live and Richard Hawley made an appearance for this. Perfection!

The next day (after a few too many gins at the gig and pub after) I headed to Bristol for my friend Emma's birthday for a lovely day at the zoo.

The lemurs were definitely my favourite, loved how they all leaned on each other and held their arms out too catch the warmth from the sun.

If you are travelling to Bristol by train, keep your ticket. First Great Western users get 2 for 1 on zoo entry if they take their train ticket and print off a voucher. Saved myself £7 there. 

We went to see Jimmy Eat World in the evening who were fantastic but the venue was awful which was such a shame. Jimmy Eat World are one of Emma's favourite bands and they played the song she really loved so it was a lovely way to finish off her birthday weekend. Hearing them play 'The Middle' took me back to being 14/15 and wearing hideous baggy jeans and band t-shirts. I thought I was so cool back then... We got to meet Jim form the band after the gig which was a pretty cool birthday present for Emma.

My trip to Nash Point one day after work was definitely one of my September highlights. It's on the beautiful Vale of Glamorgan coastline in South Wales. Nash Point is no longer manned, it was the last light in Wales to be automated and the second last in the UK to be de-manned. You can book tours, stay in the cottages here and even get married in the lighthouse.

Watching the sun set with some coffee. Going to be sad to pack away my favourite All Stars for winter, I've been wearing them all summer but they aren't a practical colour and canvas gets a little soggy in the rain. Time to dig out the winter boots.

I got a chance to browse the collections, showcasing all that The White Company is famous for - crisp white bedlinen, the softest towels, home accessories, womenswear, fragrances for home & body (wild mint was my favourite) plus an adorable children's range. Look at all the white and grey, so chic.

Wearing my Jaeger dress, felt like i should have worn something a little more neutral as I stood out in this bold colour amongst the natural palette. 

We were treated so some tasty nibbles from Jamie's Italian and a string quartet. Rather swish!

I got the change to meet the CEO and store manager who told me a little more about the ethos of the brand and that a lot of the products are made here in the UK and are of the highest quality. 

I'm tempted to pop back and get some toiletries and a candle in the gorgeous wild mint scent, one of the  best things I've ever smelt. You can never have too many candles, right?

This year’s line-up was a very eletronic as always but there were still plenty of bands and things to keep this soul girl interested. I managed to see Bastille, The Strypes, Snoop Dogg and The Polyphonic Spree do the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Bestival really is a place where you get to see some more unusual acts and you find yourself singing along to all sorts. I also danced in front of a huge shipwreck whilst Annie Mac was on the decks with lasers floating above the crowd and dancers twirled from huge cranes. Bestival definitely opens me up to listening to different types of music and to experience acts I would never see at home. 

A few things dominate my festival experience each year and they include glitter, vodka, frolicking and obviously the music. It's over a week since I arrived home from Bestival and there are still a few specks of glitter lingering on my belongings.

I got to try out some fantastic Fickle tattoos with a very fitting nautical theme. If you're anything like me and way too scared to get permanently inked then these are a fun way to try it out without the pain. They were easy to apply and lasted without any wear for about two days. The 'Ship Happens' design was definitely my favourite and got lots of comments from other festival goers.

The forecast for the weekend was pretty grim so I took my waxed jacket with me, plenty of waterproofs and some sensible footwear to deal with the mud but we really only had a few showers so we were very lucky. I had visions of knee high mud and freezing temperatures. I think I'm probably going to take more jumpers and a pair of lighter Dr Martens next year as my wellies got a little heavy after 4 days wear. 

My musical highlights of the weekend wwre Johnny Marr playing some of my favourite Smiths songs and seeing the rapper Angel Haze for the first time. The Sunday night headliner is always a bit special and this year's was no exception. Elton John hadn’t headlined a UK festival since 1969 and he played his hits from six decades for over two hours. There was one point during the set where he looked close to tears and said he would never forget his Bestival performance which for a diva like him was pretty touching. 

If you don’t manage to get Glastonbury tickets next year you should go to Bestival. If you do get tickets, go to Bestival anyway! Happy birthday Bestival, hope you're around for another 10 years.