Through Our Eyes: Friday

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Goodbye 2016, Hello 2017

I hope you've all had a wonderful first week of 2017 and that it's being good to you. I've already written a post over on my blog: Emsi Rose, with a summary of my New Years Resolutions, or more accurately, my January resolutions but that's all summarised over there.

So I thought I would use this post as a summary and reflection of 2016. It's been a tough year and I think in the grand scheme of things it's quite easy to say it was a bad year but it really wasn't.

In January it snowed and oh how I love snow. It wasn't heavy but I think that can be the best kind because you can still go about daily life but appreciate the change in surrounding. Little changes always make the biggest differences I feel.

The Day It Snowed: http://emsirose.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/the-day-it-snowed.html

February brought me a trip to London, some money spent in the Oxford Street Lush and seeing Wicked in the West End, which I must say was INCREDIBLE!! This has to be one of my favourite family trips.

The London Collection: http://emsirose.blogspot.co.uk/2016/02/the-london-collection.html

At the beginning of March, I took a trip to Anglesey and enjoyed it very much. Seaside towns and beautiful sights. Followed by Easter and chocolate eggs!

A Weekend by the Sea: http://emsirose.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/a-weekend-by-sea.html

April brought the donation of 9 inches of my hair and a new style! What an experience, I would definitely do it if you can.

Donating my Hair: http://emsirose.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/donating-my-hair.html

May was a quieter month, preparing for my GCSEs and celebrating my sister's birthday! It was also around the time I went Vegetarian and I'm not looking back.

20 Things I Thought Today: http://emsirose.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/20-things-i-thought-today.html

June brought exams but even better Prom!! An experience I will never forget and love looking back at photos from the night.

A Night To Remember | Prom 2016: http://emsirose.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/a-night-to-remember-prom-2016.html

In July I had no school and my birthday! I also attempted to start a YouTube channel but realised I need to learn how to balance my time a little better in order for that to become something I can sustain, keep your eyes peeled though as it will be back!

10 Things Vlogging Has Taught Me: http://emsirose.blogspot.co.uk/2016/07/10-things-vlogging-has-taught-me.html

Around August I realised I needed a break and set off on a Family holiday to the south of France. I never blogged about it because I didn't have the time and had too many photos to edit. I also started working my first part-time job which meant I had to get up at 6 am every morning and I was VERY tired.

Blogs are like Trains: http://emsirose.blogspot.co.uk/2016/08/blogs-are-like-trains.html

September was the month of back to school. Finalising my A Levels after a set of GCSE results I was very proud of (particularly my A* in Drama! As it was quite unexpected on my part). I ended up choosing to study Biology, Chemistry, English Language and History and although they're hard work it's great to be focusing on things I'm passionate about.

I want a fresh start: http://emsirose.blogspot.co.uk/2016/09/i-want-fresh-start.html

In October I launched the #ThursdayThoughts series on my blog which I'm hoping to pick up again this year.

Passion #ThursdayThoughts: http://emsirose.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/passion-thursdaythoughts.html

November was another quiet month, but I got to know some wonderful girls who moved to my Sixth Form, they've become my rocks and I know that we will be friends for life because each one of their personalities brings something positive into my life and a new adventure full of giggles every day.

Empties | The Mascara Edition: http://emsirose.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/empties-mascara-edition.html

Finishing in December I wasn't particularly hyped for Christmas and lost a little bit of motivation. I used the time to build myself back up into the passionate and driven person I believe I can be and with the New Year, I'm here. Back to blogging more often, working harder and smiling wider.

Make Up for Christmas Day: http://emsirose.blogspot.co.uk/2016/12/make-up-for-christmas-day.html

2016 was quite a task and probably the hardest year of my life to date but I grew, I really grew as a person and can't wait to see where 2017 takes me. What's your favourite memory/milestone from 2016? Where do you hope 2017 will take you?

Let me know in the comments!

12:00

An Open Letter To OCD

Dear OCD,

Why are you even here? I never asked for you to be here? Can you go now, please? Pretty please? You're making my life a misery and I'm sick of it, and I'm sick of you. Your this big bad bully that never goes and this overcasting dark shadow which never leaves me alone. I don't want you here anymore.

What did I do to deserve you? Why do I deserve all this pain, discomfort and distress? Is it because I'm a bad person? Did I do something wrong? Is it genetics? Was I always going to have OCD? Is it innate? Was it me? Was I working too hard? Too much stress? But I thought it was the bullies? Why does the pain continue even though I haven't seen these horrible people in months?

You crept up on me silently with deafening consequences. You made me feel like nothing was wrong, but then I started to realise. I felt like I was going mad, insane, crazy. I didn't know what to do. You had this overwhelming ability something which I have not witnessed before. You had control over me, and I couldn't fight back. I had no hope. You made me weak. Weaker than I had ever felt before. I didn't know what to do.

You're one of my oldest friend, OCD. Although I have only been officially diagnosed for a few months now, we go way back. Way way back! When I was as young as 10, I went around checking the house for cracks and mould convinced the house was going to fall down. I asked my parents constantly if the smoke detector was in and if the doors had been locked. I worried for hours on end that something bad would happen if I didn't have my fingers and toes crossed at all times. Although these habits were eventually grown out of, they were only replaced with new ones. You really like me don't you OCD? You just can't give me a break?

Your so cruel OCD. You affect my life in so many ways. More than I could ever imagine and you know it. You know the damage you are causing, and I bet you are so proud, chuffed with yourself. Why do you make me eat crisps with a spoon? Why do you make me poor bleach over my hands? Am I an easy target? You ruin my clothes, you stop me going out and living my life like I want to, you make people stare at me in public like I have five heads or something. Why? Just why?

You know very well that it's not just my mental health you're affecting. Oh no, you know that you are wrecking my physical health as well. My hands. What are you doing to my hands? They bleed, they sting, they burn, why do you make me do this to myself? You make me so tired, more tired than I have ever felt before. I thought sleep was supposed to make you feel refreshed? Expect you make me feel like I have just run a marathon. Every single day. Just give me a break. Please.

An Open Letter To OCD mental health support ocd anxiety depression mental illness blogger

You know what, yeah okay you may be winning the battle at the moment, but I tell you one thing- you will not win the war! I have battled with you for long enough, diagnosed and undiagnosed. I've just about had enough. You may have control over me at the moment. I may surrender to your every command now but I won't in the future.

I'm going to find strength. Strength. It may take me a while. It may take me a few attempts. But I will get there. One day. You will tell me to do something and I will tell you no. I'm better than the bully inside my head. You know the thing about bullies is they are actually very weak. They find their strength in making others suffer. OCD you are no different. I'm better and bigger than you. I will put up a fight.

I've got my blog, my blogging friends and the whole blogging community behind me- who have you got supporting you? No one! I'm going to find strength in my blog. I'm going to find strength in my support group. I am going to use my experiences to help others who have to battle with you, a pathetic and cowardly mental illness.

One day I will be able to do the things I want to do, and you won't be able to stop me! I will live a happy, fulfilling and normal life again, doing the things that make me happy. You might always be hanging about OCD, kinda like that friend you've known since reception which no matter how hard to try you just always seem to be forced together. But you are no friend of mine, and you will not always be welcome around here.

Don't make yourself comfortable OCD. You won't be staying around for long. I'm strong, and I'm not going to put up with you anymore.

Yours sincerely,

Nicole

Thanks for reading, as always X

12:00

The Importance of Giving

Life isn't about getting and having it's about living and being.

I think it's important to give: to yourself, to the people directly around you and to people all over the world. Starting off with the littlest of things we can make the biggest of differences.

To give to myself I have to work out what my priorities are. How to make myself happy so that I can share that feeling with the people around me. I truly believe that if you surround yourself with positive and happy people then that will reflect on how you are and how well you treat other people. I, like many other people, enjoy having a pamper evening: running a bath, popping on a face mask and watching a film or good Netflix series because it puts me in a good mood and I can share that with my friends.

I also volunteered at a nursery for 8 months for my Duke of Edinburgh and, although, the main aim was to help out and give my services to the community, I also learned so much about and for myself. Towards to end of the time, I was volunteering, the nursery experienced a flood and had to relocate for a few weeks. They eventually moved back in but are still having to work in portable cabins and the whole experience showed me how positive to be in difficult situations and most importantly when the whole town sent in new children's toys and money for the rebuild so that it meant that everyone's lives could get back to normal as soon as possible, it showed how if you give to the people around you then their lives can improve and you'll positive as a result.

We have to live with the consequences of our actions and how we treat the planet is what future generations are going to have to live with. I'm going to Ecuador for 4 weeks in July next year and I can't wait. It's going to be a totally new experience and I'm going to be introduced to a culture that is very different to my own. However, one of the things I'm going to take from the trip is that I'm hopefully going to be making a difference to people's lives by building homes, schools, and medical centres as well as visiting the amazon and trying to cover my school's carbon footprint.

Each of these three ways of giving makes me feel more positive in my day to day life. For myself, those around me and the world. Keep giving and remember to always show love and compassion to everyone.

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A to Z of Emily Rose.

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How To Deal With Falling Blog Traffic

When you blog is growing, analytics wise or in quality you can feel great. It's the best feeling in the world seeing your blog grow and grow but what happens when your blog isn't growing and developing at your desired rate. It can be really hard to deal with falling or stagnating blog traffic. It can make you completely disinterested in blogging or even to the point where you hate your blog. It can be hard to sit and watch all those around you grow their blogs, but you seem stuck at the same point.

What I want you to know is that it's completely okay for you to feel like your blog is not growing and increasing as you would wish. It happens to all of us. It happens to me all the time. Although it can be hard to deal with there are ways you can cope with it. There's no quick fix that will help your blog pick up again. Most of the time your blog is doing fine, it's just your personal perception of your blog that can make you feel deflated and disheartened as you compare your blog to those around you.

Although these tips may be able to help you out and help boost your morale when it comes to blogging, it's important to remember that you are not a failure if one of your posts doesn't get as many views as others or if your Twitter analytics aren't as high as they were last month. There is always something you can learn from these periods of deflation. In addition to the fact, you should always be blogging for yourself and not other people. I hope you find this post of use.

ACCEPTANCE

This may sound a weird point to include, but before you can deal with falling blog traffic, you need to accept it. You can't deal with it until you accept the fact your blog is not doing as well as you would like. It can be easy to deny its happening because you don't want to feel like a failure. I have news for you; you are not a failure. You are anything but. Acceptance may sound really easy, but it can be a bit challenging.

If I feel like my blog is slumping and not doing as well as I like, one of the best ways to accept this fact is to either refer back to goals you have written for your blog ( I bet a lot of you have goals posts back on your blog from January which you haven't looked at since publishing them) if this the case, dig it out, have a read and compare how you're doing with your goals. I bet you're not doing as bad as you thought. If you didn't have any goals, it's now time to write some. Write out what you realistically want to achieve in relation to your blog and how you are going to achieve them. Your goals should also have some type of time span whether that be by the end of the year or at the end of the month. Once you have focused on your goals, you will realise that you are not doing as badly as you may have thought.

TAKE A BREAK

If you are not feeling like blogging, it's probably worthwhile taking a break. If your not feeling 100% committed to your blog or passionate about the content you are producing, it really does show. I personally believe, it's much better to take a break then uploading a post every month explaining where you have been each time. If you are not feeling it, don't do it! Taking a break does not make you a failure. Sometimes getting away from your blog and finding some time to be inspired is just what you need to help you find your feet again.

I know a lot of people are scared to take a break because they worry that they will lose all their followers. Trust me this is not going to happen. Everyone appreciates that we all need a break from time to time, we are human after all, not robots. As I mentioned before, it's not what you're actually doing with your blog; it's your perception of your blog in comparison with others that can lead you to believe your blog traffic is falling. A break can really help you feel more inspired about your blog and give you that extra boost you need. Breaks don't have to be months long either; they can be as long or as short as you feel necessary.

MIND MAPS

I love a good mind map. Trust me; I love a good mind map. I used to do them all the time for revision; they are such an easy and visual way to brainstorm ideas. Now I know you don't want anything to remind you of revision especially if you just finished your exams but it's not just revision they are useful for, they can be an excellent way to get your thoughts and ideas down on paper for your blog. If you are feeling like your blog traffic is falling or stagnating and you want to change the direction of your blog, sitting down and making a mindmap is a great way of getting yourself organised and back into blogging.

If you are taking a break from your blog, creating a mindmap would be a perfect thing to do during this time. When I make a mind map I like to use branches to around four main categories, then further branches to subcategories. Ideas for these branches could include; ideas for posts, categories you want to cover, a new posting schedule, etc. I did this a few months back when I wanted to start covering more diverse topics on my blog, and it really helped. Mindmap are basically one big dump of ideas which although directly might not help boost your blog traffic they will help you understand it and know where to take your blog in the future, which in turn may help boost your morale, getting you back in the swing of things.

PROMOTE OLD POSTS

This is the main practical tip actually to help boost your blog traffic not just your perception of your blog or morale. One of the best things I find to drive traffic to old posts is promoting them. During the summer months when I upload almost every day it can be hard to do this but during the rest of the year, I do try my hardest to promote older posts on Twitter. Because social media moves so fast these days it can be really hard to keep up with your feed, this means it is likely that people may miss your posts, and we don't want that. Also, my social media following is growing all the time; new followers may be interested in posts you have done in the past, so it's a good idea to keep sharing those old posts.

If you know, you did a post about festivals, and it's approaching the festival season, promote that post more. As its relevant to the season or an upcoming event, more people are likely to click on it and boom more blog traffic! Also by promoting old posts that are relevant to the time of year etc. Someone may click on it and while on your blog find more posts they want to read and as if by magic, more blog traffic. It's really as simple as that. My preferred way of scheduling tweets is via Hootsuite.

I hope you found this post handy and will be able to put these tips to good use. However, if there is one thing I want you to take from this post is that falling or stagnating blog traffic does not mean that you are a failure or your blog is worthless. Sometimes falling blog traffic can be a warning light to let you know you probably need some time off and to take a break.

How do you deal with falling blog traffic? Do you use any of these methods or something else not mentioned? I would love to know in the comments below!

Thank you for reading X

12:00

25 Things That Happened On Every PGL Residential Trip

At the end of year six, it was our treat to go on a long weekend residential trip to a PGL centre. This was pretty much the worst weekend of my life. For someone who doesn't like getting dirty, is afraid of heights, can't swim and has never had to share a room in my life, this weekend was a living nightmare for me. As much as I loved my friends to pieces, I hated spending that much time with them.

Since year six there had been plenty of other opportunities for me to go on PGL trips but I wisely stayed away. If you don't know what PGL is it's basically this chain of dormitories and adventure parks which offer children the chance to get outside and try out new activities, they may not have done before. Even at the age of 11, I was a massive lover of routine and having a shower every night. While my friends went to sleep in their clothes, I insisted on going to sleep at the same time each night.

I wasn't cut out for these kinds of things. That's not to say everyone found them bad, for some it was the best weekend of their life's but for me, it was a nightmare. Here are 25 things that happened on every PGL residential trip, I would love to know if any of you guys experienced any of these if you went on one of these trips! Enjoy!

1. You got up really early and flocked onto the coach with the rest of your class, buzzing because this is your first experience of freedom

2. You ate way too many sweets on that coach journey so much, so you're now bouncing off the walls of the coach

3. Someone was sick... It's inevitable

4. Any toilet break stop took over half an hour in order to make sure everyone was rounded up, and no kid was accidentally left behind

5. When you arrived, you got introduced to someone probably called Kate who was looking way too happy and over enthusiastic, probably giving you a look of.' I'm going to put you through hell this week.'

6. Going to your dorms and bagsying the top bunk

7. Then almost throwing your guts up and all those sweets you ate earlier looking at the state of the bathroom ( I don't know how 11-year-old Nicole managed)

8. Running between the dorms, banging on the doors to find out where all your mates were sleeping

9. Finding out who was in your group and realising it's going to be a long weekend

10. Having to participate in stupid team games which were pretty ridiculous.

11. That one kid who always thought they were in the bloody Olympics

12. Not being able to walk anywhere quietly as your team leader insisted that you chant marching songs at the top of your voices

13. Spending way too much in the gift shop on complete and utter tat.

14. Having that one kid in your group who cries at every activity. (Yes, that was me. I would be surprised if you didn't guess that) I even have a photo to prove it!

25 Things That Happened On Every PGL Residential Trip buzzfeed memories lists lifestyle blogger UK lifestyle

15. Living off bread rolls for the weekend because the rest of the food looked like it would give you food poisoning.

16. Having a go at quad biking and feeling like this was the end

17. Going canoeing and desperately trying not to fall in

18. Having dirty wet clothes stink your dorm out for the weekend

19. Not being able to get to sleep because there was always that one room who would never shut up.

20. Having a wilderness activity which basically taught you nothing but was great if you hated heights

21. Doing the obligatory archery lesson

22. Probably auguring with your room mates at some point because someone had lost something

23. Going on the zip wire which was always the ultimate part of the weekend

24. Having the end of weekend disco which lets face, it was crap

25. Being very thankful when you got home for clean running water and your warm, cosy bed. You probably swore you were never going away again.

Weren't PGL residential trips fun? No, they weren't. They were absolute hell for me! I hated every second of them if I remember correctly but nonetheless they gave me lots of experience and taught me I appreciate my home comforts way too much.

Have you ever been on a PGL residential trip? How did you find it? Was it the best weekend of your life or living hell? Tell me down below!

Thank you for reading X

12:00

50 Films I Loved As a Kid

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What's In My College Bag?

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15 Things I Do On a Bad Mental Health Day

I suffer from quite a few different mental health problems. This means that I have good days, bad days and really bad days. On those bad days, I can feel absolutely shattered, cynical, pessimistic, have little interest in doing anything, feel compelled to carry out obsessive rituals or be very hyper and unproductive. When I recognise that I am feeling any of these emotions, I do my best to change my mood by using a range of different techniques.

Some of these are more effective than others and some days it's a lot easier to do these things than it is on other days. But nonetheless, I try my hardest. These are just personal methods that work for me. I can't guarantee these for work for everyone but the thing about getting through a bad day is finding the right methods to work for you. Everyone's different. There's no magic answer for everyone.

So whether you have mental health problems, are very stressed or just want to deal with bad days a little bit better in the future then I hope you find something here that helps you out! Enjoy!

1. Go on Spotify and listen to 80's music- 80's music in particular is always so upbeat and never fails to lift my mood. I love music in general but there's something about 80's music that never fails to get my feet tapping or fingers clicking!

2. Binge watch my favourite TV shows- some of my personal faves include Friday night dinner, would I lie to you and 8 out of 10 cats. No triggers! Nothing to make me upset. I struggle with watching films because they tend to make me cry but if you have some comedies you love, watch them! I'm sure they will help you out!

3. Go on YouTube and watch my favourites playlist- I used to use this method in the mornings before going to school because I dreaded it so much and it really helped. Creating a 'Happy playlist' on YouTube filled with your favourite videos that never fail to make you laugh is a really helpful way to boost your mood when your struggling!

4. Scroll through Pinterest and look at positive quotes- Sounds super cheesy but there are some good ones on there which have some pretty deep meanings and really boost your morale. It's not for everyone, but I try my hardest to share my favourites on Twitter at least a couple of times a week.

5. Go on Twitter and chat to some of my chummies- They are always there to support me! Don't know what I would do without them! This includes all the Through Our Eyes girlies! I have made so many amazing friendships through blogging all of which I am so thankful for.

6. Do my makeup- sometimes just making a little bit more of an effort with my appearance can boost my mood dramatically. I like to take my time on my makeup when I am having a bad day and maybe even do something special with my hair.

7. Wear an outfit that makes me feel confident- when I put on my favourite jumper or dress that makes me feel good about myself, I instantly feel more inclined to get on and do things.

8. Do some photography- photography makes me unbelievably happy, but when I'm in a bad mood I have little Interest in doing the things I love. Sometimes you just have to force it, and once you get going, you soon forget about what you were upset about.

9. Write a blog post- like photography this can be hard but nothing feels better than writing a blog post you are super proud of. I do not force blog posts so if I'm not feeling it I will try planning and drafting out some future blog posts instead.

10. Look through old photos- this is something I love to do. I don't know what it is about feeling nostalgic but it makes me really happy. Especially when I find things I haven't seen in ages.

11. Clean & organise something- cleaning is a great distraction when you having a bad day. It forces your mind to focus on something else and is equally good at reducing stress levels.

12. Write it all down- sometimes we don't feel like we can talk to someone about what we are feeling, this is okay, but it's equally important not to bottle all your thoughts & emotions up. Writing them down is a perfect way to clear your mind, and you don't have to share it with anyone if you don't want to.

13. Getting some fresh air- it can be so easy for life to get on top of you but sometimes we all need a break. I like to put my headphones in, go for a walk in the country and forget about the rest of the world. It really helps clear my mind.

14. Visit some old friends- laughter is the best medicine, as they say! If you can meet up with some old chums and have a good catch up, they might help shift that bad mood completely!

15. Think about how far I have come and how much I have got to achieve- sounds super cringey I know but when you suffer from mental health problems it can be very easy to see the world and your life in a very negative light. I like to make lists of the things I have got to look forward to and all the things I have achieved so far in my life. It can really help get you in the right mindset for the rest of the day.

Remember you are strong! A bad day does not mean you have a bad life. I hope you enjoyed this post and found it helpful!

Thank you for reading X

12:00

Holiday Memories From My Childhood

I love taking pictures. As much as I love taking pictures I also love looking back at old photographs. Which is why for this week's theme of holidays here on Through Our Eyes I thought I would share with you some photos from my childhood holidays.

I have been very lucky enough to go on holiday every year of my life, however, digital copies of photos from 2006 and before were lost forever when our computer blew up. (Yes, it did really blow up) I couldn't be bothered to go through boxes of photos to find my holiday ones, so I thought I would just start in 2007.

As you will notice I never go on family holidays abroad. Which is prominently because my parents don't have passports. Nonetheless, I have enjoyed many holidays to Cornwall, Wales,and Devon over the years. Side note; you will also notice that for most of my life I have known nothing about fashion, so I hope you enjoy laughing at my outfit choices! They are pretty bad, so I don't blame you! Enjoy!

2007- Wales

I would have been around eight years old here. To be honest, I get away with still being quite cute, so I don't think my fashion choices are too bad! Obviously, my parents didn't like me because they buried me in the sand! Thanks, guys... thanks a lot!

2008- Cornwall

This was a pretty tough holiday for my family due to personal reasons, so there wasn't many photos taken- we weren't the happiest bunch. I obviously, really liked that pink headband because I was wearing it in every photo. Also fashion.. yeah wasn't my strong point! I'm not digging the pink coat and trousers but hey that Doctor Who Museum was pretty cool!

2009- Isle Of Wight

This is one of the best holidays I have ever been on. The weather was so good all week, which really made a difference. The Isle Of Wight is such a beautiful place! As you can clearly see I was going through a trackies phase here and was still clueless about fashion, like seriously what am I wearing in that first photo?

2010- Devon

I still clearly knew nothing about fashion but I apparently really liked that purple jacket which if I remember correctly was from H&M. I really like Devon, we have been lot's of times and although the weather can be a bit hit and miss there is always something to do!

2011- Wales

OMG! This was the start of my really awkward teen years. I thought I was so cool and confident but in real life, I was just annoying a bit of a pain. If those pink leggings are anything to go by, I clearly still didn't know anything about fashion!

2012- Wales

Okay, this was the year of the patterned leggings and me really starting to care about fashion but clearly, I see failed, going by the outfits in these photos! You see that top in the first photo, yeah I made that myself- can you tell? Wales will always hold a special place in my heart, I have lost count of how many times I have been but visiting Wales will always be a favourite childhood memory for me.

2013- Devon

Okay, this is where I started to make some good fashion choices and also the last holiday I had with my natural coloured hair, which also looks pretty cute in a high ponytail! I was very interested in fitting in with the crowds at this point in my life which I am sure was the same for anyone that owned a 'Geek' t-shirt from Topshop!!!!

2014- Devon

Like Wales, Devon holds a firm place in my heart. Lot's of childhood memories were made here. I don't think devon is anyway near as pretty as Wales or Cornwall but I love it nonetheless. Something I am not loving though is that hair colour Nicole, what were you thinking?

2015- Cornwall

I am actually devastated because I can't find any of my Cornwall photos anywhere! The only ones I can find are the ones that my dad took, which is why there is a lack of photos for this year, sorry! This holiday was quite a special one for me. It marked the end of secondary school; as we went away the day after my final leaving assembly in June! I bloody LOVE Cornwall.

This year I went to the Isle of Man, if you want to see the photos from that holiday, I blogged it on my own personal blog HERE.

I hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane, as much as I did!

What's been your favourite holiday from your childhood?

Thanks for reading X

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My Hair History

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A Look Through My Old Embarrassing Diaries

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Why I Love Photography

I bloody love photography. Alongside blogging it's my favourite hobby. Actually, I don't know why I said that because blogging and photography are my only hobbies, but I don't care because I am so passionate about both of them. For my post this week, I thought it would be a good idea to share with you why I love photography so much and how I got into it. (The real reason being I didn't have time to take photos for this post, so doing a post about photography meant I could just reuse photos on my computer I already had. Omg the irony is unreal)

I have always loved photography, this photo of me as a kid with a toy camera proves that! Apparently, I loved this camera to pieces. I grew up around my dad always taking photos, as he avidly enjoys photography himself. Thankfully, I got my creative side from him and a good eye for photography, may I add. He was always eager to get me into photography, and I shortly followed in his very large footsteps.

We used to enter a local photography competition each year, for many years we did this. Some years we even won which was great. Photography was always a great bonding activity for me and my dad, something that brought us very close together. I started from the bottom (as Drake would say) and I worked my way up camera-wise. I had lots of points and shoots as a child. I always remember taking them everywhere with me as a child but getting frustrated when I couldn't get the photos I wanted, because of the lack of settings and freedom. It was always my dream to own a DSLR!

In year 10, I took GCSE photography and achieved an A*. Although there were ups, downs and lots of stressful lunchtimes in the computer suite editing away forgetting about my lunch, it was all worth it in the end. By the end of the two-year course, I had produced two videos, filled three sketchbooks and took countless photos. Although my teacher and I didn't always get on, she pushed me because she knew I could do it! (Even though I will never forgive her for ripping a page of my sketchbook out, the cow!) I made amazing friends in my class, and my dad was an absolute star in supporting me through the two years. His cutting and sticking skills were really appreciated.

At the end of my GCSES, my parents treated me to my first DSLR as a reward. I was over the moon! I got the cannon 100D, with an 18-55mm lens and a 55-250mm lens. I was excited to get playing and experimenting. Although it was frustrating at first, I soon got the hang of all the complicated settings. Again my dad was such a help in teaching me how everything works. I'm still learning to this day which is one of my favourite things about photography; you never stop learning! I soon got more kit for my camera including filters, which allow me to create cool effects and have more freedom with my photography. My photography wish list is forever extending, and I could spend allows drooling over £900 lenses! I would much rather spend £900 on a lens than put that towards something practical like a car! I know, I'm weird!

Although, I didn't carry on with photography in education and I don't plan to go into a photography based job in the future (although it would be fun). It's still one of my favourite things to do as a hobby. As I am a blogger, I take lots of photos for my blog. This keeps my photography interest going as sometimes, especially living in rainy England it's not always easy to get out and take photos. I like to take my time over my blog photography, including the editing process.

Here are some of the photos I have taken which I am most proud of:

Why I Love Photography blogger lifestyle lemur wildlife close up zoo

Why I Love Photography meerkat close up wildlife blogger zoo

Why I Love Photography waterfall Isle of man close up

Why I Love Photography subway at night city night photos blogger

Why I Love Photography traffic trails light night photography blogger UK lifestyle

One of the main reasons I love photography is that it's such an excellent distraction for me. I suffer from OCD, which can be hard at times, but when I have my camera in my hand, I feel very calm. Instead of worrying about if I touched a door handle earlier that day or if I hadn't washed my hands enough, I am more concerned about making all my photos looking professional and creative. It's a great way to distract me from all those horrible intrusive thoughts in my head and get on with enjoying myself.

As well as helping my mental health, I love how photography has improved the relationship between my dad and me. It gives us something we can talk about for hours. We share tips, photography magazines and could talk for ages about the kit we dream to have one day. I help him, and he helps me. It's really nice to have something that connects us together, which we both have a genuine interest in. I love all the trips we have been on over the years to get the perfect photos, it's been so much fun even if it's just down the road, I have so many fond memories.

Nothing beats taking a good photo that you are really proud of. It gives me such a warm, fuzzy feeling inside and I just want to share that photo with the world. This makes me so happy and really helps with my low mood and mood swings. I love being good at something and able to admit that I am good at photography. I still make mistakes, and that's okay. Photography is an art and just like any other art it's a learning process. There is always so much to learn! I love love love photography because it's so creative! The possibilities and opportunities are endless!

I look forward to continuing photography in the future. I look forward to travelling to new places and experimenting with my camera. I look forward to upgrading my kit and getting excited all over again, each time over what essentially is just pieces of plastic. But above all of this, I look forward to learning. You never stop learning about photography, and I am so eager to find out more in the future!

Do you like photography? Or do you have another hobby you love? I would love to know in the comments below!

Thank you for reading

Nicole X