I wanna listen to the trees, maybe stare up at the clouds. Yes, I want to get lost, let’s get lost

Another month down, we are now in August. June’s photos went up a little late, so this feels like July was even shorter than it was. One more summer month filled with great company and magnificent skies.
I have spent the last couple of days planning and writing the next months blog posts, so don’t worry – it isn’t becoming just my monthly photos. However, I hope you enjoy seeing a small collection of snapshots for July.

July, week one.
I am sure by now that you know I love a good sunset/sky photo. There’s something I have always been drawn to and felt the need to capture in the sky. This one was taken from my boyfriend’s garden, and the light is just spectacular. A fairly self explanatory selfie, always in my favourite necklace from Sugar and Vice. Christopher couldn’t decide what to do one day and as we were driving we came across a place to see Meerkats and a whole host of other cute animals that you could stroke. I wanted to put one of each in my bag to bring home though…

July, week two.
The second week of July brought showerwashywashy time into Dolly’s life. After ten years she finally accepts that this is going to happen from time to time and she goes along with it now, albeit unhappily. The process takes Floss and I to both keep her in the shower (much harder with a wet room), actually wash her and then quickly run after her downstairs to let her in the garden to rub herself on everything. May or June saw us go to the pier and we chose a bubble gun (for the dog) with all of the tickets we had accumulated. I think my sister and Sam enjoyed playing with it far more than Dolly did though. My dad came home with these curiously named burgers one day for dinner, we are still none the wiser as to why they are labelled this way though.

July, week three.
A selfie taken whilst sat under a tree with the dog, trying to keep up both cool whilst we waited for family to return from fruit picking in sweltering heat in the Kent countryside. A beautiful sunshine yellow Sunflower to place next to a photo of my mum. And the most delicious banana, strawberry and cherry sorbet/smoothie hybrid I’ve ever made. A photo of the haul my sister and Sam managed to pick when we went down to Kent, slowly working our way through the punnet of fruits.

July, week four.
It had been a very long time since I had seen the Surrogate Mothers Club, so it was arranged that we meet one evening for drinks and a catch up. There may have been some super sneaky shots consumed whilst waiting for our other drinks to be ready each time too. A really lovely evening sat outside chatting and enjoying a gin or five. The week following that weekend left me feeling really anxious, an underlying feeling of dread kept washing over me and I couldn’t shake it; as much as I felt I was going mad. So I slapped some makeup on (hence the selfie) and took myself off to see Christopher for twentyfour hours. Although I couldn’t fully shake the panic that evening, I was feeling much better on the Sunday. I could breathe a little better and I think it was just what I needed, a change of scene and pace. Another glorious sky photo, it was so blue and perfect just before I had to come home (which wasn’t as straight forward as it should be, two trains and a car ride home, thanks to Southern Rail, the most useless train providers ever).

And we’re holding on when there’s nothing left to hold on to, so don’t tell me when it’s gone ’cause all I have left is you

May has come to a close and I’m a little sad about this. The past month has been filled with the best company, music, great memories. I am so pleased I started curating my months on here because it means I get to relive the lovely memories I’ve made. So, here is my May twentysixteen.

May, week one.
I love tiny plump sweet tomatoes. This day I ate an entire punnet to myself for lunch, it was a great decision. When I was seven (and my sister was born so my mum couldn’t be bothered to argue with me about it) I stopped wearing skirts/dresses/coats. Now nineteen years later as a grown up, I have to venture back into this world I do not feel at home in. This was one of many rejected options to wear to my boyfriend’s brother’s wedding next month. Being a plus size woman limits my choices of dresses and skirts, so it has certainly been a mountain of a task. However, stay tuned to see the dress I have (I think) decided upon in another blog post. May brought Lewis Watson back into my life, Floss and I went to see him play a “I want to see if you like my new songs before my album is released” gig in Shepherds Bush. We found a cute Mexican place for guacamole and delicious soft tacos.

May, week two.
A selfie, naturally. This week gave us more sunshine and a trip out for lunch with my aunt. We went to this cafe that is hidden away beside the sea, a favourite in our family. They sell the best banoffee cake too, so I made sure to grab some to bring home on my way out. A warm week called for a tiny Twister ice lolly, which Dolly thought should be for her, she was out of luck though.

May, week three.
If you have read the post before this one you will know that I hit twenty-thousand views on my blog this week. That’s amazing and I am so thankful for each and every single one. I love coming here and just writing whatever I feel like writing; but to have that many people willingly come and read it is incredible. Christopher makes excellent scrambled eggs, and he makes them for me every weekend I see him. I was craving them during the week though so I had to go it alone – they were pretty damn good. The Friday of that week brought a trip to Portsmouth with my sister that involved a much more complicated journey than necessary to the Passport Office. However, we made it in time and even did some shopping after before I went to meet Christopher for the weekend.

May, week four.
On Saturday we went for lunch with two of Christopher’s friends and their very cute and extremely chilled, most well behaved baby I’ve ever met. After lunch we decided to go and play adventure golf, which involved some playing in an arcade before hand. Amazingly I didn’t come last and tied joint second with Christopher. Sunday evening was home time and we passed this glorious masterpiece of nature on our way to drop me off. The bank-holiday weekend was filled with family as we had a very boozy gathering of people over. We drank lots, danced lots and laughed abundantly; it was the loveliest of days spent with some of my favourite people.

I didn’t want to deprive you of some live Lewis Watson clips, enjoy.

View this post on Instagram

Someday we will all be ghosts 🌙 #lewiswatson

A post shared by Lydia (@bluegrassbelle_) on May 4, 2016 at 4:20pm PDT

View this post on Instagram

I love you, I don't think you care ✨💕#lewiswatson @levvis

A post shared by Lydia (@bluegrassbelle_) on May 30, 2016 at 9:13am PDT

You’re everything that I hoped for, that’s why I gave you my all

I came to write about something exciting, but first I am going to vent about the crappy day I am currently having (the exciting bit does come, I promise).
Today began with wiggly anxious feet, which is never the way a lady wishes to arise from her slumber. With too much unsolicited adrenaline my extremities tingle and I need to release this, so feet wiggling like I’m in Footloose is my usual go-to. Checking the time on my phone I realise I still have an hour before my alarm insists I get up. So I attempt to go back to sleep but I am met with the anxious thoughts that accompany my eighties dance movie choreography. Great. Then I receive a text from my sister to inform me that Dolly (the dog) has been sick a lot in the garden. Yippee. By this point it’s clear that I am not going back to sleep. I drag myself out of bed, eyes still mostly asleep whilst I get dressed to walk the dog and face the day. As I head downstairs I am met with an odor of vomit and two huge piles of sick. One of them is a revolting tangle of green slimy grass. Oh joy. As I go towards the back of the house to let the dog in to the garden, what do I see? Oh yes, that would be another 3 piles (this time its the raw chicken from last nights dinner), slick and putrid. Excellent. Then there is more in the garden and more in the living room I discover. Poor dog, clearly shes unwell but also, gross. It’s not even half nine in the morning yet. After spending a fair while doing my best Cinderella before she meets the prince impression, I walk the dog; who spends most of her time eating more grass…
My shopping is due to be delivered between ten and twelve today, so I await its arrival and get on with a multitude of boring house chores. However, the shopping still hasn’t arrived half an hour after the time-slot has ended. Weird. After logging into my account it would appear that I didn’t finish the transaction yesterday so our shopping won’t be coming today. And I haven’t even mentioned my strange enchanted hand that keeps going a little numb every now and then. I get to climb into a dark hole and never come out again now, right?!
Okay, I get that worse things happen at sea and certainly worse things have happened in my life, but today’s morning has felt relentlessly bleak. Roll on tomorrow evening and being with the boy I am incredibly fond of in a place that helps me breathe a little easier (when I’m not feeling anxious anyway *monkey covering eyes emoji*).

Now, onto much better news. On Tuesday the seventeenth of May, this blog hit twenty thousand overall views! I am so excited about this. I never thought I would actually keep up blogging, and I certainly never thought many if any people would want to read it. But I did and you did and now I’ve hit a huge milestone for someone who has just written a whole passage about dog vomit.
Thank you to everyone who reads my blog regularly or if you are entirely new and you’re helping me on my way to thirty thousand. I appreciate every view, every comment and every share I receive. You are all lovely people and I am so pleased that anyone would want to read my work.
I thought that I would link you my Facebook page, so should you wish to keep up to date and notified when a new post is published you can do so. Or, if you are a fellow WordPress user, feel free to hit ‘Follow’.
Here are some of my favourite pieces I have published on here, in case you missed them:

• Hold your head high, heavy heart (- Dear teenagers, it gets better or at least different).
• I have the dance moves of a mustache and the singing voice that sounds like a beard on the inside of my cheeks (- for all that love those with a beard and those that have careless whiskers to tame).
• And I am finally seeing that I was the one worth leaving (- Inspired by Frank Turner and moving on from something that never quite fit).
• You hid there last time, you know we’re gonna find you (-My tale of always being the fat girl and how some builders harassed me).
• But I am a ghost, just haunting myself (- An exercise in dissipating writers block, melancholic whimsy at its best).
• I’m ready to hope, swing me out of the low; wide awake in the glow, can’t do it alone (- Sadness and hope combined in melancholia. My canary sings no more).
• And I kissed him back like and arsonist with a pocket full of matches (-romanticised romance).

Once again, thank you.

And I slept in last night’s clothes and tomorrow’s dreams

On the first of February twentysixteen, I shall be twenty six years of age. If you have read my previous post you will understand why twentyfive wasn’t my best year. I have written of birthdays past before, but for this year I have decided to set myself some achievements to unlock.
Here is my list:

Read 26 books. I was in a major reading slump last year, I couldn’t concentrate for long enough to get into a story. I believe I read a total of only four books last year, which isn’t like my usual bookworm self. So this year I have set myself a goal on Goodreads to try and keep my nose deeply buried inside of those delicious smelling pages. I have just started my third book and I am loving reading again.
Survive five days at a festival. I have never been to a proper festival before. I hate camping and having dirty hair. Send help.
Write. Last year I let my blog slide a little because I just didnt have the concentration or the oomph to be bothered. I am trying to change that now and write often. I find it incredibly cathartic and enjoyable. So prepare to become even more acquainted with my inner tumultuous monologue. In the same vein I would like to get myself more involved in the blogging community. Collaborations, entering my writing to contests and publications and events are on my agenda; network, network, network.
Learn to like myself more. I often write about being a plus size woman and how most of the time I am content with this. However, somedays I am not okay to be in the body I am in and I would like to stop being cruel to myself. The aim is to be more accepting of me and my body, to treat myself with kindness.
Sing in public more. I love to sing all the time, I always have. Yet, I have never really had the confidence to put it out there for others to judge. There’s been the odd karaoke session but I would really like to give an open mic night a whirl.
Procrastinate less. I am the absolute best at procrastination, I can put things off indefinitely but I want this to change. In order to be braver and write more I need to stop putting things off and deal with them when I can. Sometimes I have to postpone things due to anxiety, but sometimes I just need to kick start the gremlins in my head to start working.
Stroke more dogs. I am one of those crazy dog ladies that will find a dog anywhere to coo over. I love them. I will talk to dogs I have just met only to be startled the owner is talking to me instead…excuse me sir, I was actually speaking to your adorable puppy! I have been told that I can’t really put this on my list as it’s not an achievement. But I really like dogs and they make me happy, so it’s staying. “How many dogs did you stoke last year?” “Not nearly enough”.
Okay, so some tasks are a little more serious and focused than others, but I know that if I can achieve all of these, even twothirds, this year will be awesome.

(I do not own this illustration).

These pictures can tell lies and my words will still fall short

I have tried writing something of substance several times now but my house is full of people and a barking dog…and then I was distracted by the IKEA bedding section. Yes, it is going to be one of those days. One of those days that occurs for me far too often in succession. Once again on the regal throne; surveying my kingdom of procrastination. I cannot seem to make the silent sentences in my head readable words that come from the tiptiptapping of my fingers. With a song stuck in my head that I have to listen to, only distracting me further from writing this post. I find that just sitting and writing is usually the only way to focus my mind, the flowing incoherent thoughts swirling around finally finding a resting place where sometimes they become something legible. Matters are only made worse when I finally get into the ebb and flow of writing only for my laptop to die as quickly as a Victorian lady could faint.
As Charles Bukowski said “writing about a writer’s block is better than not writing at all”, so here I am, writing about not being able to write. I enjoy blogging and I wish that we had been able to explore this style of writing at school, rather than the standard letter, short story or article writing we are all taught from an early age. To be able to express ourselves and connect with others in a medium that is truthful and inviting is something I love more each day. No finagling on Facebook and overstating on Twitter, blog writing is honest. I knew when I started belleofthebluegrass that I wanted it to be authentic in a society that revels in omissions. If I am pouring my heart out, I want you to see blood. However, when sat atop my velvet covered diamond encrusted throne; tending to my kingdom of procrastination, when the words wont form into sentences I start to write about attractive men and what I wish to buy. Don’t get me wrong – I enjoy writing those posts and finding the photos of cheekbones with sharp jawlines too, but they are always the easier ones to write.
I am not really sure where this post has taken me today…I have written this post about not being able to write this post. It really is one of those days.
On a slight side note though, I am more than thankful to anyone who has read anything on my blog, whether of substance or other. I have now surpassed five thousand views on my blog, which is absolutely thrilling, so thank you one and all. I promise I shall try and be less disjointed next time we meet. 

(I do not own this image).

In the corner of your room, you’ve stockpiled millions of my memories

I have started the very long process of sorting out my bedroom this week. I say started because frankly it has been far too hot since Monday to carry on, that with my relentless battle against procrastination (/internet shopping) means I haven’t quite finished yet. But I have organised the majority of my jewellery and main storage in my room, so I thought I would show you how I store most of my jewellery. (Click on the images to make them larger)

Before I took these photos I had a ridiculous amount of adornments, a lot I had forgotten about or they were broken and old. So, I took a bold leap and threw a lot away…it isn’t often that I get these urges to do away with trinkets in my possession (always erring on the side of borderline hoarder), but I was missing a lot of things I do like to wear because wading through it all was such a chore.

These bangles never leave my wrist, I’m not even sure I could get them off even if I wanted to. Unfortunately one of them broke and I haven’t had it fixed yet, but to briefly outline: the bottom 2 I got with the broken one for my twenty-first birthday from my parents. The twisted one was my grandmas, the big plain silver bangle I bought for myself with some birthday money I got this year. My lovely lovely skulls I bought with money my parents gave me for my twenty-third birthday. As I have mentioned before, wearing bangles is a tradition in my family.

In the first small perspex draw are my rings. Mostly I have silver rings with various crystals in them, a Butler and Wilson wing ring, a vintage mirror ring and a sparkly heart that I got one year for Christmas. In the box at the back is the most beautiful transparent pink acrylic unicorn ring from my friend Jasmin as a birthday present last year. The Brighton based company specialise in laser cut jewellery and I want one of everything! I am a complete fiend when it comes to rings, I just cannot stop buying them, I ran out of fingers a long time ago.
The second small draw is filled with various earrings and 3 nautical themed charm bracelets, one from primark, one from Lyme Regis and another as a gift for Christmas – I am  a complete sucker for anything nautical and anchor related (the photos came out really blurry though and then my camera died, so you’ll have to use your imagination I’m afraid).

On to the next two draws. The first one has my Sugar and Vice ‘Dia de los muertos’ and custom made ‘Magnificent’ necklaces. On top of the magnificent box is my silver chain with 3 tiny keys on that I got in the Isle of Wight a couple of years ago. A Lydia name necklace, pentagram pendant that I’ve had since I was 13 and my very favourite, often adored big rose necklace from New Look about 8 years ago.
The bottom draw stores my Primark chunky gold necklace, a leather rose ring, a spinning sparkly anchor from Camden, a little round clay pendant with a black bird with gold flowers on and a sparkly starfish ring. In the box at the back are the most fabulous cross earrings that are glass with a pink A/B finish that were my grandmas, a metal blue humming bird pendant and my beautiful multi crystal winged pendant. A tiny sparkly gold elephant, my adorable Tatty Devine blue anchor necklace from my friend Samantha for a birthday and a huge red heart from primark for a whole pound.

To the right of that is a pink plastic goblet that I got from Tiger and it holds all of the things I like to have out, but don’t wear as often. The felt tattoo style heart brooch was a birthday gift from my Mum’s friend. The tiny tile with a little sail boat on is just darling and a gift from my cousin and the L scrabble tile ring was a gift from my mum. There are also a few random rings and bobby pins scattered in there.

On the left of the perspex storage is the gorgeous Pandora’s box from my parents that I have stored all of the jewellery I can’t quite throw away but don’t really wear inside of. Here you can see a flower ring that when you twist the gem in the middle lights up, a pair of massive hoop earrings, a pink plastic anchor, two faux crystal rings, a large metal rose ring, a skeleton holding a diamond that you wear across 3 fingers and a multicoloured bead bracelet my sister made me.

On top are 2 velvet covered jewellery hands, The black one is holding my giant Butler and Wilson rose, a twenty-first birthday gift from my aunt and uncle. The pink hand is holding many bracelets as well as the four rings that are my go to day-to- day jewellery. At the bottom is a Turquoise with silver leaves ring from the Isle of Wight. On top of that is a Hematite thumb ring that also came from the Isle of Wight and my beloved Bloody Mary Metal stacking rings – the Lonely Bone and a personalised stacker that has ‘Heavy Heart’ stamped across it, taken from the lyrics: “Hold your head high heavy heart, and save your strength for the morning after” of ‘The Phrase That Pays’ by The Academy Is… Go and check out the BMM website though (closed until 25/7), because it is all bewitchingly enchanting and I cannot wait for the new Luna Tribe range to launch (more rings)!

On top of the perspex box is my dazzling Tatty Devine mirrored swallows necklace. Now I have to say I haven’t worn this a whole lot because the edges are super sharp, but now I have had a sort out I’ll remember to file down the edges a little so I can wear it more. It is far too pretty to sit inside a box all the time.

And that’s about it, I do have more in a hanging storage thing but that is mostly hair accessories with a few bracelets thrown in. I have a few more bedroom tour style blogs to come in the future, so I hope you liked this one. If you would like to see my already massive and ever growing hair accessories box just let me know.

It was like the way you wanted sunshine on Saturdays, or pancakes for breakfast. They just made you feel good

 

My brain is a little all over the place today, so to gather my thoughts I’m going to do a list based blog post for you. If you know me at all you will know that I love writing lists, as I have mentioned before – I am a notebook enthusiast with a compulsion for list making. The act of putting pen to paper and organising things into categories focuses my mind and lets me forget momentarily about all of the other thoughts that are inconsequential to the task at hand. It is also another method of procrastinating, something I am entirely skilled in, as I don’t have to deal with all of the other stuff which is either boring or too important for me to think about right now. I thought I would just name a topic and list 5 things from that category that I like and hopefully if you haven’t heard of them you will find new things to like too.
YouTube
– The RH Experience
– World of the Orange
– Essie Button
– Fun for Louis
– Miss Glamorazzi
Films
– Stuck in Love
– The Kings of Summer
– License to Drive
– Funny Face
– Moonrise Kingdom
Songs
– The Offspring – Denial Revisited
– Paolo Nutini – Iron Sky
– Pokey LaFarge – Daffodil Blues
– Jose Feliciano – Lonely Teardrops
– You Me At Six – The Rumour
Instagram
– Grgctts
– Alielayus
– Lamiakaric
– Lsbeth
– Melancholyellie
Food
– Sushi
– Burgers
– Blue cheese
– Crisps
– Anchovy stuffed olives
Books
– Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
– Guitar Girl by Sarra Manning
– You’ve Been Warned by James Patterson
– The Secret Lives of Dresses by Erin McKean
– The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton
Drinks
– Tequila Sunrise
– Rose Lemonade
– Mango Cooler
– Honey and lemon
– Gin and tonic
Photographers
– Guy Bourdin
– Camilla Akrans
– Annie Leibovitz
– Joshua Hoffine
– Tim Walker
Detectives
– Adrian Monk
– Miss Marple
– Johnathan Creek
– Precious Ramotswe
– Hercule Poirot
The perfect place to conclude my list making…now to take the dog out in the pouring rain. Boo. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my lists and maybe found something new to watch, listen to or read.

(I do not own these images).

on wednesdays we wear pink

Welcome to the first Woman Crush Wednesday! After doing several Guy Fridays I realised that I don’t champion women enough here on this blog. However, in Procrastination Kingdom (ie. my life), I am only just getting around to doing it. I chose all of these women for different reasons – some I admire greatly because of the impact they make on peoples lives, others have been my idols for years. However, mostly I chose them because I think they are beautiful, just like I do with Guy Friday.
So, let us begin.

Candice Accola, also known as Caroline Forbes in The Vampire Diaries is undeniably beautiful. She has always been my favourite female (bar Kathrine) in the show. She should totally be with Klaus and not stupid Tyler, but that’s a conversation for another day. I thought Candice was so striking as soon as she appeared in The Vampire Diaries and have had a small obsession with her ever since.

Krysten Ritter is one of my favourite, but very underrated actresses. She has been in both the Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars of which I am a huge fan of both. Although I much preferred her as Lucy in the Gilmore Girls than Gia Goodman. The woman never bloody ages as well! She looks exactly the same as she did circa 2006 as she does today! She is so strikingly gorgeous and funny too! With a new Veronica Mars film, of which she stars, her career seems to be building.

Audrey Kitching, my ultimate Scene Queen. Myspace had me hooked on Audrey’s style. Big pink hair, loads of black eye makeup and girlfriend to lead singer of Panic! at the Disco?! I wanted to be Audrey Kitching. Although a little more toned down these days and far more style aware, she has designed her own clothes branded Coco De Coeur and Tokyo Luxe. I have been a fan of Audrey’s blog for years now – a mix of photo shoots, DIY projects, spirituality and fashion/beauty, it is a favourite of mine. And then there is that face! So so pretty and such perfectly coloured hair…I want it!

Paloma Faith, one of my spirit animals. Kooky, funny, intelligent and talented plus she is an absolute stunner! I love how Paloma, even on her less glamorous days, is more put together and perfect than the rest of us on our best days – it all looks so effortless as well. Her hair and make up are always flawless. Another multi talented lady, Paloma is an actress as well as a songstress but before the fame she worked in retail and even as a magicians assistant. Could she be any more awesome?

Sandra Beijer is my favourite blogger. Unfortunately I have to read everything she blogs about through google translate as she is Swedish, which doesn’t give the most accurate account but you can get the general jist. I have been reading Sandra’s blog since 2006 and I have read every single post. I am very excited to read her first novel ‘Det Handlar Om Dig’, which translates to ‘it’s all about you’, once it has been translated. If Alice in Wonderland was half as awesome and had a blog, I like to think it would look a lot like this. The photos are beautiful and Sandra was the main inspiration for me wanting to blog (and actually stick to it). She is so cute with the most amazing wardrobe. I almost feel as if i know her after reading her blog for so long. I have seen her relationships and friendships, family and travels. And her recipes are excellent too! A little something for everyone. Best best blogger.

Louise Pentland (/Watson) goes by the handle Sprinkle of Glitter on YouTube. Her informal blogging/beauty blogs are a breath of fresh air and some of my favourites to watch. Someone you wish was your friend and a wonderful mother to baby glitter (Darcy). Another fellow pink haired lady, Louise is one of my favourites. Her recent vlogs from Florida were the best ones (bar Louis Cole’s) that I watched. Have I mentioned I am a YouTube addict?! Plus, her new friendship with Jack Howard and Ben Cook means that there is more of them to watch too, yay! If you like a little humour, honesty and a relaxed style to your your YouTube viewing, go and check out Louise’s channel, it will not disappoint. She is beautiful too and her hair always looks amazing.

Kristen Bell will forever be my favourite teenage super sleuth Veronica Mars. I have loved Kristen bell since I was about 15 and first saw Veronica Mars in action. Okay, so I thought the character was cool but as she has got older and people are realising more of her potential, Kristen has become a much sought after actress. And with that face and figure, why on earth wouldn’t the movie execs be breaking down her door? Her reaction to Sloths is one of the best thing I have ever seen and her philanthropic work is inspiring too. Actress, singer and all round beauty!

Tess Munster is, in my opinion, the best plus size model out there. Firstly because she is actually plus size, secondly because she is gorgeous and lastly and most importantly – she is helping women of all shapes and sizes feel better about themselves and boosting their confidence with her campaign #effyourbeautystandards. An inspiration to all women, not just those of us over a size 12 – to love who you are, what you look like and not be defined by other peoples opinions. I want her clothes, hair, makeup and confidence.

Kelly Osbourne has been a firm favourite in my books for over 10 years now. When I first saw her on The Osbournes in 2002, I thought she was the coolest person and my opinion of her has never really wavered from that stand point. Kelly has had her ups and downs in life but I am so glad to see her really on top these days. She looks incredible and she seems settled with her amazing opportunities and job. Her life over the past few years has been a real inspiration – she sorted out her life, got fit and healthy and landed an awesome job on the Fashion Police. I have always admired Kelly Osbourne and I can’t see that ending any time soon. Also, her hair is to dye for and she always always looks amazing. Oh, and the diamond manicures!

Haley Williams…I don’t even know where to start with my love for her. She is an absolute pocket rocket with the most amazing talent. A tiny gorgeous orange haired lady that bounces around the stage with an effortlessly belting voice is something to behold. I have been a fan of Paramore since I was 15/16 and I have seen them live about 5 times – they, and especially Hayley, have never disappointed. I cannot tell you how many times I have wanted to be her over the years. Awesome coloured hair, an incredible figure and the most magnificent voice. She is by far my favourite (and, in my opinion, one of the best) female vocalist. Whether you like their music or not, you cannot deny that Haley Williams has an amazing voice.

Well that completes the first ever Woman Crush Wednesday. I hope you enjoyed this post and that if you didn’t know about some of these beautiful ladies, you will go and check them out. This post was fun to write and I like talking about the female influences on my life as apposed to stunningly handsome men for a change. If you have any women you think should be included in my blog, please leave me a comment. 

This is the way you wish your voice sounds, Handsome and smart. Oh my tongue’s the only muscle on my body that works harder than my heart

It has been a month since I last did a Guy Friday, so that is what you shall receive today. Plus I am too excited about seeing You Me At Six tomorrow that words and pictures are about all I can manage today. So much excite! However, I have become aware that I am not championing women enough on this blog, so Woman Crush Wednesday will be uploaded next week. Oh yes, midweek post! Okay, so it was meant to be up this week but as I am the queen of procrastination, I was doing my royal duty and not getting around to it.
With all of that said, here is today’s Guy Friday.

Eddie Cibrian was never really on my radar, until he played a serial killer who lures women into his basement by using his son…my Criminal Minds obsession is still going strong. I am even dreaming about it now. Anyway, Just looks at those dimples! And well, the rest of him. Oh that jaw line.

Let’s just get this one out of the way. I know that Justin Bieber is more than a knob most of the time, but he does remind me a little of Corey Haim and that is never a bad thing in my book! Yes, mostly he makes terrible music (a couple of tracks aside…) but you cannot deny just how pretty he is. If only he could stop being an absolute twat.

My inner teenager is in love with Benjamin Cook – the lip ring and the swooshy fringy hair always gets me. He is clever, sarcastic, creative and I like the way he speaks. Ben made a series on YouTube called ‘Becoming YouTube‘ where he explores what it takes to become popular on the website. Interviews, observations and sketches all rolled up into one amusing and insightful series.

Paul Wesley as Stefan Salvatore was never my favourite vampire brother in The Vampire Diaries, but he is becoming better looking as the program goes on. Now I think he is definitely on equal footing with Ian Somerhalder as Damon Salvatore. And again, just look at that jaw line!

Theo James is playing the role of Four in the new Divergent movie, which I am fairly excited to see. Although he doesn’t really look how I imagined him in the book (too pretty/a little too old for 18), I think he could work. He also played Mr. Pamuk in Downton Abbey and caused monumental chaos when he died in Lady Mary’s bed…awkward.

Cyr is someone I came across whilst watching Louis Cole‘s YouTube adventures last year. He is a kooky and quirky individual – which just makes me like him even more. He can sing, make short films and just comes across as a really nice guy. He has recently grown facial hair and I have to say, it was an excellent idea. Although cute without it, he is most handsome with it. Check both channels out on YouTube.

Oh Reggie Yates, my long term crush. He is beautiful and so creative, plus he is a trainer enthusiast like myself. Reggie always come across as a really lovely guy and someone you wish was your (boy)friend. His sense of style is impeccable. The tv presenter, actor and DJ is now trying his hand at directing too. Is there nothing this man can’t do?! 

Andy Jordan from Made In Chelsea is just so pretty! Dimples, that smile and those eyes! He is funny and I like his singing too, even if he is an idiot when it comes to Louise. I am far too invested in Made In Chelsea (which is back on Monday, yay), especially Andy, Francis and Jamie. Plus, he looks like a fisherman in the first photo which makes my heart beat a little faster.

So, I shall get working on my Woman Crush Wednesday for next week and perhaps even share some photos from tomorrows gig. I hope you enjoyed this weeks blog post. If you have any suggestions on who should be in a future Guy Friday please leave them in the comments.

(I do not own these photos).

machine men with machine minds and machine hearts!

Stuff I like on the internet. For this mid-week post that is what you shall be receiving. I am far too easily distracted today to write fully in-depth cohesive thoughts and have them be vaguely interesting for an entire post. I have turned the tv to mute, then off, tried music, tried classical music and I am still not really concentrating on the task in hand – this blog post. But I wanted to post something today. First off, I am once again expressing my love for John and Hank Green. They can really do no wrong in my book. They have several YouTube channels in which they are witty and intelligent – One of my new favourites being Crash Course. There are lots of short vibrant videos on: psychology, chemistry, US history, literature, ecology, biology and world history.
Also, Hank Green developed an Emmy Award winning series called The Lizzie Bennet Diaries “The Lizzie Bennet Diaries is a modernized adaptation of the classic Jane Austen novel, Pride and Prejudice. The story is told primarily through Lizzie Bennet‘s Video Diaries, while being supported by her and other characters social media streams.” Its brilliant, awesome and very funny. Go go go!
Polo Nutini is back with new songs and a tour soon! This makes me extremely happy. His voice is so beautiful and is definitely in my top 5 favourites. He consistently gives me goosebumps and everything he does is perfect for the warming weather. His song Iron Sky is nothing short of entirely wonderful.

This Patrick Stump Quote
Pretentious quotes to live your life by. The internet if full of teenage angst ridden photos of mountains with deep quotes written over the top, taken from books or songs. For the most part I try to avoid such things – text that has been taken out of context and placed upon an image of no consequence irks me. However, when I see them printed in a bold font on a white background…well, it makes me want to buy them sometimes. Do these declarations on how you wish your life to be lived actually make an impact? One of my favourites is monochrome and boldly says “oh darling, let’s be adventurers” – does this mean that one morning I will grab my fedora and whip on my way out of the door to the temple of doom? I doubt it. However it does occur to me that if I were to follow the ‘inspirational meaning’ behind the prints I want on my walls, well, it could all end rather badly for me.
Tattooed fairy tales by Glenn Arthur
Pizza Hut Vs. Papa Roach 
This movie quote from Jawbreaker
This dogs face
I started off strong and ended with a photo of a smiling dog. Yeah its one of those days. I promise the next post will be far more interesting than this one. Please go and check out John and Hank Greens links at the top of this blog post, they really are worth it. If nothing else, I hope this post has put a smile upon your face or caused you to expel too much air through your nostrils (internet laughing). I shall return later this week with something more worthwhile…or perhaps some men with cheekbones and beards. Much spending has been done from my account too (it is not particularly happy about this), so when everything arrives I may do a ‘haul’ post if that is something people want to see? It is mostly a load of random stuff. I have lots of other ideas too, I just need to stop being so bloody good at procrastinating!
Thanks for reading this ever so rambling disjointed post.

(I do not own these images/songs)