#11 - Feed the Ducks

I haven't fed the ducks in forever. We got a loaf of bread from the shops and it was so hot it was crazy.

Me and my Mum had this game of throwing the bread into the swans backbones. So yes, in this photo his back is basically a plate.

#54 - Play with a toy

Monday's child is fair of face.

I'm making a different track every night this week and expect frequent blog posts to coincide.

We found the train set in the removal boxes. A lot of it's German because I lived there for two and a half years so the houses especially look extremely German.

I made this with my sister Izzy, who I'm sure if you read this a lot you'll know (also the hands are hers). All of the photos on this post are taken by me. There are also numerous links at the end to some of Izzy's photography. All photos taken with my new baby my Nikon d3200.

Photos taken by Izzy: 

Earl Gray

Paisley

The Moon

100 things this summer

1. Go to London

2. Go to Brandy Melville

3. Go on a train

4. See the Bling Ring

5. Wear my swan skirt

6. Go on a plane

7. Go to Hogwarts

8. Get my results

9. Get easily into my next school

10. Buy some music for my ipod

11. Feed the ducks

12. Finish the 52 book challenge

13. Read 2 books a week

14. Go to a festival

15. See a band/singer I really love

16. Go to Thorpe

17. Try Churros

18. Go to Disney

19. Ride expedition everest with my eyes open

20. Go on the swarm

21. Finish catch 22

22. Do a video for my collab channel

23. Finish all my books before the US

24. Start Moby Dick

25. Take more photos

26. Buy all my clothes for school next year

27. Find a leather alternative bag

28. Buy a new school bag

29. Do something childish

30. Go to the zoo

31. See Now You See Me

32. Do New York research

33. Go to the Strand

34. Go to the 9/11 memorial

35. Drive something exciting

36. Learn the entire theory book for my exam in September

37. Buy the Naked Palette

38. Watch more films

39. Read the Cuckoos Calling

40. Buy a book I've never heard of before in a store

41. Buy something in Barnes and Noble 

42. Buy the new Sarah Dessen

43. Buy a Disney pin and trade one

44. Write everything in my stuff that happened to me book

45. Organise an event with someone I don't usually go out with

46. Write a song

47. Write a book of lyrics

48. Write more

49. Get a henna tattoo

50. Learn a safety announcement in spanish

51. Make a 9/11 video

52. Have a read-a-thon

53. Go to a waterpark

54. Play with a toy

55. Reread the entire pj series

56. Be migraine-less for a whole week

57. Read all my BMJs cover to cover

58. Do something good for my career

59. Run in some sprinklers

60. Go on a roller coaster I have never been on before

61. Go to Kew Gardens

62. Go to somewhere new in London

63. Read a non fiction book

64. Talk to my friend Julia more

65. Write every day

66. Get better at guitar

67. Learn a guitar solo

68. Learn "1000 miles" on the piano

69. Get a decent book idea

70. Craft the spoon mirror

71. Redo my magnetic boards

72. Keep my room tidy

73. Go for a whole day without moaning about the temperature

74. Draw more manga

75. Make my Alan Curnow poem video

76. Go fruit picking

77. Become more adventurous with my clothes

78. Write a letter to somebody

79. Leave more nerdfighter notes

80. Avoid burning myself

81. Climb the rocks in central park

82. Go punting

83. Buy American stationary

84. Wear my Dorothy shoes

85. Get a stronger core

86. Go through airport security without beeping like a terrorist

87. Cry with happiness

88. Have my photo taken with Mickey

89. Blow bubbles

90. Go to Birmingham

91. Go fruit picking

92. Win a competition

93. Play with sparklers

94. Be in London after dark

95. Put up all my pictures

96. Clear out my clothes

97. Buy some smart shoes

98. Win something

99. Use my diary

100. Draw illustrations for a book

Basically Jenna wrote a list and I'm a copycat. See it here
Every time I complete one I'll post something. Oh and also I'll give general updates regularly.

Izzy.

Photos of my amazing sister, Izzy.

Photos by Izzy: Earl Gray
                       Paisley

The Moon.

I love a white shirt and jeans.

Shirt: Gap, Jeans: Urban Outfitters, Shoes: Topshop, Bracelets: Not store bought

Photos taken by Izzy: 

Earl Gray

Paisley

Paisley

I love payday. Also I love that nail colour. It's the colour of sunshine.

Dress: Urban Outfitters, Cardigan: Urban Outfitters, Nail Varnish: Rimmel

Camera: Nikon D3200 (my new baby)
Pictures taken by the talented Izzy :

(That photo of the stunning Izzy was taken by me)

Other photos by Izzy: Earl Gray

Harrassment

I'll tell you a story.

When I was eight or nine, I can't quite remember, my cousin and I, who was nine or ten at the time, decided to sell bracelets outside my grandparents house in the summer to raise money for charity. This is a quiet village in a nice area in the south of the UK. When we were selling, and I still remember it to this day, a red car pulled up filled with four men in their twenties, the men stared at us and drove on.

This was the first time I ever got looked at by an adult. Well that I had noticed. And even though I didn't understand what was happening I remember feeling a bit rattled. I moved on and didn't think about it again.

My friend RachDerp had an experience out running the other day. It's not my story to tell, but the man tried to get her in his car.

She made a brilliant video about it.

We started tweeting and I realised how often I have been groped and grabbed by men and been judged by my body. They weren't as extreme as RachDerps experience,  but if you're not ready to be groped or honked at it leaves you feeling... odd inside.

My sister (13) got groped last year when we went to the Aquadrome by a middle aged man when we went with Nina. I got groped age 13 at Coral Reef in a swimsuit in line for the water slides. I got shouted at by a bunch of not-yet-pubescent boys just two weeks ago. I got groped in front of my parents last year at Reading Festival but I was older so I felt much less rattled as I did when I was younger. I had a rapper with yellow teeth chat me up for 2 hours when he knew I was 6 years younger than him. I was honked at age 12. And I don't like it.

When I try to explain how I don't like this to teenage guys they don't quite understand it. They don't understand why I don't like it. Being checked out and whistles comes with a feeling of being uncomfortable. I want to have control and this doesn't give me any. And that's scary.

This shouldn't be happening. Not once have I said anything to the person. Not once have I done anything to the person. And I regret that. Because when no one says anything, it ends up with Jimmy Saville all over again. I'm so proud of RachDerp getting aggressive because I have never done that. And I wish I had.

So if anything ever happens to you, say something.

You may say I'm overreacting to tiny events that are "flattery." It's not though.

I know this brings down the tone of my last post, a fashion post, but it needs to be said.

I don't enjoy it. Speak out. Do something. Because you'll feel much better when you do.

Earl Gray

I'm trying this fashion thing.

Wore this to The Great Gatsby and wanted to take some photos.

Cardigan: Urban Outfitters, Camisoles: Topshop, Skirt: Urban Outfitters, Bracelets: not store bought, Tights: M and S (because I'm hardcore)

Pictures taken by Izzy.

The Great Gatsby Film Review

Ok so I just posted a full review to Gatsby on my channel and it's spoiler free but this is for all my spoilery opinions.

I was really disappointed that Gastby's funeral wasn't shown as I think that scene is so sad and poignant and also they missed out his father completely. That scene is heartbreaking and wonderful and I'm sad they missed it out.

Gatsby was so carefree when driving in that first driving scene and it was disconcerting when he was driving so recklessly. What were you doing man!

Also I didn't like how Wilson didn't come and kill Tom first because I really loved that in the book. It just missed the subtlety.

Other than that I have no real plot complaints. It was an incredible film.

Over and out.

You must be a book lover - let's get you an e reader

In principle - I love the e-reader. I mean, I don't really like carrying around the big heavy book in my little hand bag. I don't like the negative impact on the environment that 300 pages a week brings. I don't like the fact that I don't have nearly enough space to store all my books, or enough time to visit a library.

And I love online shopping. I buy all my presents there because I hate Christmas shopping and there's so much choice. And to top it all off, they sell every book, in every edition. So the e-reader should be my ideal present, shouldn't it?

I have an app, I'm not going to say which but it rhymes with schmindle, and I share my parents e-reader account. I found though that I didn't pick up as much from reading though as usual. I read "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Steven Chbosky on my app and I found it harder to enjoy and harder to take information into my brain.

I watched the film in October, and yes, Emma Watson is superb, but it was only then that I realised I'd missed half the subtlety through reading on my phone.

I am also a person who is very stimulated by colour. According to this test: http://www.xrite.com/custom_page.aspx?PageID=77 (in which I got a good score of 4) I have good colour vision. Because of this the use of colour and book covers influences my reading experience heavily in a way that the e-reader never will (also I have colour coded by book case. I shall talk about that at some point).

I find graphic design really interesting because of the relationship between people's environment and how they respond to this. I know you're not supposed to "judge a book by it's cover" but, come on, that's a metaphor really, isn't it? I love picking out my favourite edition of the book I want to read online. Because nerds. I will spend ages picking out colours and editions, especially of the classics. The e-reader lacks the relationship between the design of the cover, the pages and the reader itself.

I think that reading is a multi-sensory experience, holding and hearing a book gives me some satisfaction. 

I don't know what I'm trying to get at here. I just love that feeling of the soft pages against my guitar-hardened fingers while I listen to the beautiful soundtrack of Jeff Pianki. Everyone else seems to fear that one day books will disappear like handwritten letters or... film cameras. It's your responsibility to buy books if you feel strongly about this, but buy what makes you happiest. For me, it's that parcel that arrives on Tuesdays celebrating my new book haul.

Buy books from me: http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/?a_aid=SophieCharlotte