It's grim up North

I hate this labeling of 'The North', and its often misconceived image of a dark and dreary place. However, the grey skies of Glasgow on a recent trip to visit my brother did not do much to challenge the concept that the sun never shines north of London.

Glasgow from The Lighthouse

Sky High

For a very long time I have been on the hunt for some wedge sandals, but couldn't find any I liked. I came across these a while ago, on the Urban Outfitter's website, and while they weren't exactly what I was looking for, for some reason I really, really wanted them. At £85, however, they were way out of my student price range so I left them and continued the search.


So when I saw these shoes had gone down to £20, I knew I had to buy them. I have had them for about a week now, and am yet to wear them outside. This is possibly due to the lack of sunny weather we're having at the moment, but also due to the fact that they are really quite high.


I hadn't really noticed the hight of the wedge until I tried to walk in them (and promptly toppled on my ankle). To me, they look rather like Birkenstocks, which are quite possibly some of the comfiest shoes I own, so I couldn't imagine they wouldn't feel like Birkenstocks. However, the downward pressure from the angle of the foot is really quite painful, and I haven't quite managed to perfect how to walk gracefully in them, rather than clomping around like a child in her mother's shoes.


But I absolutely love these sandals, and will be keeping them until either the sun comes out again or I learn to walk in them, painlessly and effortlessly. (Even more incentive to keep them is the fact that, the day after I bought them, they went up to £40!). For now, however, I will just keep looking at them, wishfully.

Wedges, Deena & Ozzy from Urban Outfitters

This Week

I wore

Carvela at Kurt Geiger

I bought

Deena & Ozzy at Urban Outfitters

I worked 

Work experience at The Hexham Courant

I saw

Vinyl Jacket at The Cluny 2, Newcaslte

I read

One Day by David Nicholls. 

Really interesting book looking at how life can develop and change. However it's also very sad. It taught me life is short, and you should never hesitate to do or say anything you want to.

I watched

Bridesmaids. 

Really funny film if slightly ridiculous at times. Cinema was full of high pitched girly giggles.

That is my week. What have you done this week?

Wonderful World

Throughout my childhood I was told I lived in one of the country's most beautiful counties, but I took it all for granted because I saw it everyday. If you see rolling hills on the valley when you look out of the window, it becomes commonplace and less special.

However, since I moved to Birmingham for university, I now appreciate the beauty of where I live. Walks along the river and trips up to the Roman wall have shown me the amazing views that can be reached from my doorstep.

Tyne Green, Hexham

Cawfields, Hadrian's Wall

Work Experience

Today I finally began something which will hopefully really help me when it comes to finishing university and joining life in the real world. With dreams of being a magazine journalist I really need some sort of experience that helps me say this is what I want to do and this is why.

So today I started work experience at my local newspaper. While possibly not where I envisage working as a career, my first day has proved to be fun and interesting, and really encouraging for the future. A lot of advisers say that your local paper is a good place to start is your looking for a career in journalism. Being a weekly, the pace is not so rushed and hectic as a daily paper might be, which provides more time for writing practice and really getting to grip with how a newspaper works. 

Today I went along on an interview with some women from the local dramatics society to talk about what goes into putting on a play and how much it all costs. It was a really interesting interview and it was fascinating to see the reporter jotting everything down in shorthand symbols. In a world of technology it was quite humbling to simply sit with a pen and paper and just talk to people about their work.

So while we might all dream of hitting the big time in some high flying job in London, it seems like home is a good place to start. And it can prove far more interesting and worthwhile than you might imagine.