This Month | An Update

 So you might have realised that I've practically disappeared from most of my social media (excluding Tumblr) and this blog especially in the past month - the last post I uploaded was my Summer Wishlist (which is probably one of my favourite posts I've ever done, I love the look of it and I'll definitely be doing more wishlists in the future!) on the 5th of August. Yh... So I thought I'd just have a little (or mahussive, knowing me) chat with you guys, giving you all an update as to what's been going on in my life lately, if you're at all interested, and what my plans are for the near future. See, I'm already rambling, might as well start before it gets too bad...

The reason why I've been AWOL is because it's the summer holidays! Now that I've finally got the time to, I've been relaxing as much as possible (ie. sleeping till noon) and attempting to gather my thoughts and self in preparation for the new school year (year 10 for me, which frankly scares me to death but won't stop me from obessing over new stationery and notebooks while I have the chance) and every girl deserves a break occasionally, right?
 

I spent the first two weeks in Norway, on a remote set of islands so far up North it was actually in the Arctic Circle! In the summer, there's usually 24 hours of sunlight for a few weeks (in the Winter, it's the opposite with permanent night) but unfortunately we'd just missed experiencing the full Midnight Sun effect. Although I didn't see any darkness for the full two weeks I was there, the sun did set for about 2-3 hours, still pretty cool in my books. It's fair to say it wasn't the "typical" summer holiday destination - we were lucky if it was 20°C and sunny at the same time! - but I still enjoyed it. We did a lot of hiking up mountains, with the craziest views for miles when you reached the top, and eating fish, which is their main business there. Even though it wasn't always perfect beach weather, we did actually swim in the FREEZING sea for a few minutes! The beaches there were definitely the prettiest I've ever seen, sometimes even up to Mediterranean standards, with the white sand and clear turquoise water! I don't think any of my photos did them justice, or any of Norway really - it's a very Tumblry / picturesque country - but my sister and I did take over 2,000 photos between us and I used almost all of my polaroid film! Maybe another photography post is due soon?

 Tomorrow, I'm actually headed to Belgium for 5 days, a "mini-holiday" kind of. We're going to be staying in a windmill, a first for most of us I'm sure, which I'm pretty excited about! I'm definitely going to be snapping a few photos of the countryside there too. Also, the owner says there's a 2 persons bathtub on the top floor (meaning a giant 1 person bathtub for me!) So I'll be bringing one or two Lush bath bombs along with me. How I've survived for so long with a broken bath at home is beyond me!

When I got back from Norway, I was surprised to hear that I'd missed so much in the music world! Most of the songs I've forgotten already or know too well and can't imagine my life without them, so I wouldn't be able to tell you them if I tried but there were a couple more memorable releases too. One Direction's Drag Me Down for starters. I remember hearing it in the taxi on the way back from the airport half asleep and not liking it, but it was only a matter of time before I became obsessed with it. And I am. I've been a lowkey fangirl for One Direction for about a year, since Four came out and I realised their style had really changed since 2010, but Drag Me Down was the final straw. Not only am I obsessed with the song (their first without Zayn *cry*), but also the video, the band and, possibly, Harry Styles (I'm not even going to mention his high notes in DMD). But only slightly. Of course. (Who am I kidding...?) UPDATE: I may have to do a whole post about my thoughts on One Direction now that they've announced a year-long "hiatus"!
 

This summer I've also fallen in love with Lana Del Rey's new music from upcoming album Honeymoon, Ed Sheeran, Hozier and James Bay. I'm desperate to go to a concert soon but somehow I can't find good tickets for anyone touring in the UK, my fault for the bad planning I guess.

One of my favourite things to do in the colder half of the year is curl up in a corner, pop on some of my favourite music and browse the Internet (mainly Tumblr tbh), so at least I'm prepared for that. I feel bad for saying this while it's still August, but I am totally ready for Autumn. Autumn's probably my favourite season, I just love the coziness and the weather and the colour palettes and the fashion trends. I've been addicted to the ASOS and Anthropologie websites, scrolling through page after page of clothes, homeware and bags - none of which I need but all of which I desperately want. It's safe to say I'll be in my comfort zone, pumpkin spice latte in hand.
 

Along with getting lost on Tumblr while I'm getting comfy on some pillows, I love reading - this is the time of year where I get the most done. Recently, I've been at a bit of a dead end as to what to read but I've just found an entire new genre to discover - classics. Not everyone might enjoy them but I for one do (if you don't understand a section, just carry on and you'll get the gist!) and am currently stuck in the world of Elizabeth and stupid Mr Darcy in the world of Pride and Prejudice (no spoilers in the comments please!). I have a whole list of ones I don't want to miss out on, including The Great Gatsby and Wuthering Heights.

I'm also trying to get back into baking soon but I feel like my chocolate orange cookies (always a favourite) or (Deliciously) Ella's raw brownie version would be too Christmasy for now (I don't want to appear too eager!) so I've been holding back. The other day, I decided to go ahead and make something, anything really, to get myself out of this little rut. I picked the easy option with a no-bake Oreo cheesecake, basically a heck ton of Philadelphia cream cheese, crushed Oreos and cream, but it went down a treat and was finished in a day! I now can't wait to bake more things and I desperately need to brush up on my cupcake icing skills!

I also needed some time off of this blog to sort out exactly what I wanted from it, clear my head of all the stale ideas and start afresh with a new perspective on it. For a while now, I've been wanting to give my blog a bit of a revamp. I want to redesign it but I just can't seem to decide which style I want. My description is in need of a redo too - I've never really been a "beauty" blog and probably won't be in the near future either. As much as I'm interested in those type of posts, I can't see myself writing them and I'm far from an expert in anything beauty related so any advice I gave would be utter rubbish. I do love fashion and homeware still so I'll be writing more of those posts but I also want my blog to be a place where I can outlet random deep, or semi-deep, thoughts. I've been looking at people like Rufaro (The Girl on The Bench, a long term blogging favourite) for inspiration with this, so look forward to a slight change in my writing style soon. (I'm not changing massively as I'm still the same person, I just feel this would be a truer image of who I am and what I want.)

So there. That's basically it, I've tried to restrain myself so that this isn't too long and boring for you. Now it's your turn: what have I missed while I've been away? What are your new obsessions, or hates, anything you're really excited for? Tell me below in the comments, along with any post or series ideas you'd like to see here, and I'll try to reply to everyone!

A million virtual hugs and kisses and a lottle love,
Natalie xx

P.S I've noticed that the posts I scheduled while I was on holiday didn't get as much attention in the form of comments or views as usual. I'm not complaining, just curious as to why. I didn't notify you guys with a tweet or on Google +, so maybe that's it? How do you know I've usually uploaded a new post: Bloglovin', Twitter, Google + or do you just check here occasionally? I'd love to know as it'd really help me for future posts! Xx