La Boiserie

Hello. I will do a proper updating update.. But at the moment there is something new every day so it is kind of hard to write a post summing up everything. SO as an apology, I give you this video.. Featuring me, the sitting room and Riikka.

I'm going

I'm going!

I'm bloody terrified.

It's really bizarre to think about the years to come - the years when my "real life" seems to start. It feels as though the past 18 years have been building up to THIS. Working for exams in order to take more exams in order to get into uni. Always working. Always exams. - I don't mean to suggest that the working is going to stop now. Ha. No. I'm pretty sure that's going to step up a notch once I go to Bristol. But it's just really odd to think that all of the learning that I have done, was really just to prove that I was good enough to do more learning.. And, the weirdest part is, I'm not even going to have to think about any of that past learning anymore.

And it's odd that until now I've always had such a clear idea of what came next. GCSEs then college then A levels and applying to uni and then - Well.. here we are.. with everything so undecided. Things could go in any direction. I admit, it is exciting. But, right now, it's more scary than anything else. Literally jumping out of comfort zones into whatever life hands you - and I'm learning how much chance has to do with things and how important it is to grab opportunities when they appear. And although everything is new and things are going to be frightening and uncomfortable - I'm trying to embrace the change, and think of the 'new-ness' as refreshing and rousing rather than something to be afraid of… Trying is the key word there.

.. You can probably tell that I'm a little bit exhausted - I thought it was worth getting one more bit of writing on here before I went away because I can't guarantee wifi.. On the bright side, I can guarantee a choice of boots because I've packed three pairs as well as some fairy lights because I NEED THEM ALL.

Also, James and I went to London on Tuesday so we could spend the day together before I disappear to Chez Mickey. It was really really lovely. We spent hours exploring Brick Lane and Covent Garden and I hope there will be more adventures with him to come. I actually just cried saying goodnight to him because it is going to be SO so weird not having him around. I'm very lucky that I have such an awesome younger brother. He's a goodun. Here are some of his pictures (he's REALLY good) -

And now I'm going to go to sleep because I have to get the train very very early tomorrow. Good night.

I'm supposed to be packing

BUT instead I am going to recommend ALL of you AVID readers (Yes. ALL OF YOU) to go and do this online activity because it is SO fun.

CLICK HERE

Or here

OR HERE

or HERE

It's funny because they all go to the same place.. but I think that people like to feel like they are in control of their own destiny, so I'm trying to make it seem like you have a choice... When actually the only real decision here is

a) Have an amazing day because you clicked here

b) Feel average but mostly pretty rubbish due to the fact that you didn't click here.

The end.

P.s. You know when you type the same word lots of times it starts to stop looking like a word? I actually just double checked that I spelt the word "here" correctly because it started to look REALLY REALLY WRONG. ...

The real end.

Bestival 2011

I'm back from a super amazing weekend on the Isleof Wight for the best end of summer celebration that I could ask for. Despite adverse weather conditions (our tent literally collapsed around us on the last night.. I got hit in the head by a broken tent pole and before I could say "emergency poncho" the outside part had blown away, leaving us with nothing more than the inner lining to pose as a roof over our heads..) it was a literally fantastic and utterly beautiful weekend.

Here are some photos which were taken either by Jackle on his iphone or by the beautiful Chloe on her SLR.

In the rain with all my gear at the entrance to the festival.

WHY IS THIS WRITING UNDERLINED and how do I make it stop?!

With Jack, Chris and Tom in the crowd at the main stage on the Sunday. All looking a little worse for wear (look at Tom's eyebrow!! IT'S BLUE!) but still feeling greeatt.

Shoe circle. Chloe's photog is so nice.

Chloe and myself under a tree of magic. There was so much magic at Bestival. I can't even explain. During one adventure through the Ambient Forest there I am so certain that I saw at least one fairy and a fawn and a couple of naked people (the last bit wasn't so magical.. just a bit surprising if I'm honest).

This is me and Jack. It's a little bit sad because Bestival kind of marked the end of the most wonderful era for us. On the bright side, I couldn't have asked for better company, and also check out my wig.

The theme was Rock Stars, Pop Stars and Divas (hence the wig) and I dressed up as Kate Bush... but was often mistook for Florence Welsh.. But that's okay too, because she was blatantly inspired by Kate. This is my Wuthering Heights impression. I actually found myself becoming strangely attached to the wig, and might wear it more often. Many random strangers even asked me if it was real. Seriously.

This is a random piano in the middle of the festival. Things like this are WHY I adored Bestival so much. Another awesome thing was this secret hidden party room - you like walked through a hidden door in a photobooth and found a secret canopy-passageway to this amazing clubtype chillax room with sofas and hammocks and music and converses. Crazy.

Me and Jackle again. I like him so I'm showing his photo again.

This is a picture of JUNIP's set (which was in a tent called the Psychadelic Worm Tent) which was absolutely amazing. I didn't know that many of their songs before we went.. but literally, I was blown away by how good they were. I felt like my heart had turned to gold.. and I literally was overwhelmed by MUSIC. Wow.

This is a picture of us in the crowd of Dry the River (who are SO great) - Jon the drummer took this during their set WHICH was amazing. Can you see me? I'm bottom left near the front with a wig. OH and later, Jack and I went and had a chat with them (see below) and it was so awesome and they were so friendly and cool. I love them.

And that, my friends, is that.

Loveeees

Verrry Exciting News

SO, back in June I had a very exciting job interview.. It was up in London, entirely in French and very nerve-racking.. but also successful! (hooorayyy)

And so now, my big news is that..

I GOT A JOB AT DISNEYLAND PARIS!

I KNOW. I know. Crazy.

So now, on the 23rd of September I am heading up to St. Pancras Station to hop on the Eurostar to move to Disneyland Paris for 6 months. Properly one of the most excit

ing/scary things that has happened to me for quite a while!

FYI, I'm going to be a Serveuse (waitress).. rather than like, Mickey Mouse or one of the Seven Dwarfs or Snow White or anything. That would be cool.. But I have experience at waitressing.. not at Princessing.

Anyway.. Yeah. That's that.

Introductions

Hello. My name is Sarah. I'm 18 years old and I have made the brave/stupid decision to defer entry to university and have a year out. I'm sticking two fingers up to the higher tuition fees and going for it anyway, because you can't put a price on experience etc. etc. At the moment I'm at the stage where I've been accepted to Bristol University to study Archeology and Anthropology, I have a very exciting job which is about to start, my friends are all about to disappear to different ends of the country and the rest of my planning and fun stuff is about to begin.

Little did I know, however, the planning and "fun stuff" is actually a little more complex than I at first realised. There's far more to think about than the basic, "where to go? who to go with? what to do there?" questions. My Gap Year Advice Book, promising to give me everything I'll need for my "adventure of a lifetime" reminded me of all the other things that I must keep in mind when planning my travels. Things like insurance, small print, risk assessments, vaccinations, health precautions, pickpockets, visas, passports, documents, padlocks, hostels, home-stays, currency, exchange rate, scarlet fever, dental floss - I am definitely going to stop listing for fear of having a panic attack.

However, although at present the thought of tackling all of those tasks seems a little daunting, the thought that things are being set into motion is pretty encouraging.. and extremely exciting. My new job abroad (that I will write more about later) starts in less than three weeks, and I have already starting saving like a kind of modern day Scrooge. My Dad has given me a "Make The Most Of Your Time On Earth" book, which, despite the kind of morbid title ("do the things on this list and fast, because your days are numbered") is jam packed with fantastic ideas. Even writing about it here and browsing travel photos on tumblr is filling me with the most inspiring kind of wanderlust and I really feel like things are getting started. Now that the ball has started rolling, I am so sure that 2011-2012 will be the most exciting year of my life!

Talk about adventures!