Thank You, Summer

This summer has been one of the busiest of my life. And I've kind of loved it. It's been an overflow of past, present and future, new things and old, meeting people and reconnecting. It's been a bit insane!

When I left school in July, I hadn't really grown up. I felt like a school leaver. The week I spent on holiday with no parents showed independence, but no more then I'd had before. I was still a girl who'd just left school who didn't really know much about what life was going to throw at her. And then I left for Europe. I met 50 people from all across the world and had my first experience of life. When I came back I wasn't a school leaver anymore, I was a gap year student with a full time job. I still had no idea what life was going to throw at me, but at least I knew it was going to throw something.

And then I went to Ireland. I was pulled right back from from my newfound adulthood and shown the place I spent so much time in when I was a child. Just as I settled into those memories I found myself in Italy with family, where I grew up some more. The week I spent in Wales has almost completed the transition. With family, friends, a job and a plan, I'm ready for the world. I know it will throw something at me, but the summer has shown that there'll be something to help me catch it. This year won't be plain sailing, but it's the start of the rest of my life and I'm ready to make the most of it.

Over and out.

Disclaimer: This ended up being considerably more dramatic then intended. Apologies for deviating slightly from the (less dramatic) truth!

A Little Update

Hello everyone! I've been MIA for a while now (again) but am now back temporarily (again)! This is just a quick update so you know what I've been up to and why I've abandoned the internet.

As my last post says, I spent a week visiting places from my childhood in Ireland. I wrote it while there, but didn't get good enough internet to post it. I decided to post it now, because it made me happy when I read it just now. I'm back in England at the moment, where I will remain until Friday before I head off to Wales to update my CPR certification!

Some of you may have noticed that the video I said I'd edited has yet to make an appearance on my channel. This is because I'm a bit of a chicken and don't want to make it public yet! I think I'll wait until  September to upload it, though this will look a bit odd as it's about results day and that's tomorrow. On another note, I'm fairly sure I'm going to epically fail everything I took, so that's good...

Anyway I hope you're all well and enjoying summer! England has decided that summer is over, and it's raining right now. I love my country.

Over and out.

Why I Love Ireland

I have been in Ireland now for a grand total of three days. And I'd forgotten how much I love it.

As a child, my holidays were split between home in England and my extended family over here. I grew up claiming I was Irish, and I certainly was (well half of me was!). Through my teen years, the isle of shamrocks became a less frequent place for me to visit, though I still made it over to Dublin every now and again, but sadly not down to the house near Limerick. I hadn't been to either of these places for a good three years now, so it's brilliant to be back.

I've realised that I've missed things I barely even noticed. I've especially missed hearing the accent. I've missed it so much that I'm now determined to live here for a least three months at some point so I never forget how to pick it up. I've also missed going home and having my friends tell me how Irish I sound because I start using all these expressions I remember from when I was younger. It's great to rediscover these connections to my roots and hopefully, now I'm older, I won't forget them so easily.

My family is staying with my aunt in the house near Limerick- the same house my mum and her two sisters spent every holiday at growing up. The same house I spent many holidays at growing up. I haven't been here since I was nine or ten and remember very little but, despite this, I've realised there are so many things that have changed. The horse I used to feed apples to has moved on. The old metal furniture on the gravel has disappeared. The little shed my giant doll used to live in has been demolished (though Lily herself is very much alive and well!). The changes are huge but the place is the same. 

It's been a brilliant reminder of youth just as I prepare to enter the adult world. And it's something I should remember.

Over and out.