My family

Hello flower,

So it's day eleven and today I am going to write about

My Family

Family... wow! My family are incredible. The expression "you can't choose your family' is true for everyone, but if I were given the choice, I wouldn't change a thing!
My close family is quite small, just me my mum dad and brother, but I have a really large extensive family too who are equally fantastic, I only wish I could see a bit more of them!

I realise how lucky I am to have a family, and always try to never take them for granted. My parents are supportive in whatever I choose to do, (within reason!) and have been especially amazing these past couple of months when I finished university and looked for a job.

I wish I saw more of my big brother. He lives on the other side of the country which means I only see him a couple of times a year. There is nothing preventing me from getting my bum in gear and seeing him more, especially as he might be moving to New Zealand in the near future (scary.)

That's nearly all there is to tell in that department. I am very fortunate when it comes to family!


Love and peace,

Heppy xxx

I shuffled my ipod, and look what it spat out!

Hello flower,

Today is day ten...

I'm going to

Put Your Music on Shuffle and List the First Ten Songs

1) You Better Believe It - The Small Faces
2) Oscar Tango - The Penguin Cafe Orchestra
3) Passacaglia, Op. 1 - Webern
4) Coptine D'un Autre Ete: L'apres Midi - Yann Tiersen
5) Divertimento for Orchestra - Leonard Bernstein
6) Unsatisfied - Nine Black Alps
7) Etude 11 in E Flat - Chopin
8) Love Doesn't Last Too Long - The Weepies
9) Brandenburg Concerto no 1 - J.S. Bach
10) She Hates Me - Puddle of Mudd



Hmmmm... quite proudly eclectic.

Love and peace,

Heppy xxx

Day eight

Hello flower,

It's day eight.

What I Ate Today

Breakfast
- flapjack, an orange, black coffee

Lunch
- 3x ryvita with cottage cheese, ham, olives and balsamic vinegar

Tea
- We went out for an Italian to celebrate getting our jobs! I had a seafood pasta in tomato sauce. It was delicious.

Snacks
- Homemade ginger biscuits and flapjack from my mum

Drinks
- Green tea, water, diet coke.




Well wasn't that dull.


Love and peace,

Heppy xxx

Five pet peeves...

Hello flower,

Today my weekend begins (my days off are Sunday and Monday) yaaaaaaaaay!

It's day seven...  and here are my

Top Five Pet Peeves!


1) Rudeness
I really cannot abide people who are unnecessarily rude.

2) The climate
As a summer person, I often find the weather in England really depressing. I am so much happier when it's sunny outside. Perhaps I need to emigrate to somewhere really sunny!

3) Ignorance
Some say "ignorance is bliss.." that's not the kind of ignorance I'm talking about. I don't think there's any need for offensive ignorance. If you don't understand, get informed before you open your mouth and offend people.

4) Rubbish television
I've never been a big fan of television. There are few programmes on telly that I enjoy, and I could quite happily live without a TV providing that I still had access to films. One thing I can't stand is sitting through some rubbish programme because there's nothing on. Just switch it off and read a book!

5) Creamy food
Rice pudding. White sauce. Cheese sauce. Bread and butter pudding. Custard. Cream. YUCK.






Wow, that felt like a really negative post! I'm gonna balance it out with a few things that have made me happy today:

- My mum's baking that she left with me yesterday - flapjack for breakfast and homemade biscuits getting me through work.
- Tom rolling into bed at 5am, steaming drunk, and being super soppy - nawwr!
- Reminiscing about my university graduation yesterday.
- Seeing my brother and his lovely lovely girlfriend, and the note they left me for when I got home.
- Having a good laugh with Marc at work.
- Indulging in boiled eggs with soldiers - my ultimate comfort food!


Love and peace,

Heppy xxxx

My Views On Mainstream Music.

Hello flower,

Today is day six.

My Views on Mainstream Music


This is a bit of a tricky one.

Firstly I'm not sure entirely what is meant by 'mainstream' music.  I see mainstream to mean something that is normal or conventional, but this can apply differently to different people.

For the sake of argument, I am going to talk about music that is in the charts.

Each morning I wake up to the radio alarm playing BBC Radio One, so I always have a good feel for what is in the charts at any given time. The music that is played by the station is what I would call 'mainstream,' and I think that the music they play is popular for a reason. As a semi-proffesional musician, I love listening to popular music because I can often work out the hooks that make the song work, and I find it interesting doing so.

For example: Maroon 5's Payphone is popular at the moment.

The reason I find I think this song is so addictive and popular is the chorus. I don't want to go into too much detail, but the melody for the line "I'm on a payphone" is beautifully written, the interval leap is what makes it pretty much perfect and it is that tune for that line that makes the whole song work. The Inner Game of Music is a wonderful book that, amongst other things,  explains why certain melodic lines please us as humans.

Newton Faulkner's cover version of Payphone takes that beautiful melody and exploits it to the best of its potential.

I much prefer Faulkner's version. 

What I want to achieve with these examples is to demonstrate why I love mainstream music. I use it as a little game for my musical mind. 

Of course, I like some songs, I dislike others. I LOVE some songs, and I HATE others. 

Love and peace,

Heppy xxxx

A couple of things I would say to my ex.

Hello flower,

Today is day five.



A Couple Of Things I Would Say To My Ex


"Thank you."
"Thank you for helping me chase my dreams."
"Thank you for all the fun and happy times."
"Thank you for believing in me."

And one final word that never be quite powerful enough -

"Sorry."

Love and peace,

Heppy xxx

A new job and my day.

Hello flower,

So in regard to my thirty days I'm afraid I have been a little slack these last few days! I had a trial day yesterday and was given a job, and I started today! It is such fantastic news to have got a job so soon after finishing university, I am so relieved and grateful.

How funny, day four of the thirty days is to 'bullet my day'. So here we go, here is what happened at the first day of my new job.

Bullet Your Day
- 6.45am: Radio alarm goes off, I have a five minute snooze to Chris Moyles then roll out of bed.
- 6.50-7.30am: Normal morningy activities done in super speed. By 7:30am I am clean, dressed, made up, fed, watered, and ready to set off for my new job.
- 7:30-7.45am: A brisker than necessary walk to the train station in panic that I might miss my train.
- 7:45am: I get to the station, a train is waiting! I panic and leap aboard before realising I am very early.
- 8:15am: I arrive to my destination forty five minutes early - oops! It's always better to be too early than too late.
-8:15am - 9am: I find the actual place of work with the help of google maps. I then walk back into town and find a lovely coffee shop where I enjoy a large black americano (my favourite!) outside in the sunshine. What great preparation for my day! (In hindsight maybe a regular coffee would be better than a large - I was wired!)
- 9am-5:30pm: I look around the place, meet members of staff and undergo training. The working day is busy with lots of information to take in, but I have enjoyed my first day!
-5:30pm-5:45pm: Run to the train with Marc, my new colleague before realising we are actually early. What is it with today and being early?!
- 5:45-6:15pm: Train ride home is enjoyable, if a little toasty. Today is hot!
-6:15-6:30pm: Stroll back home whilst on the phone to my mum, discussing my day.


Now I am sat, back home with my boyfriend and his mate Joe. Nice to be back home and relaxing. How was your day?

Love and peace,

Heppy xxx

A book I love

Hello flower,

Today is day three, and I'm going to be writing about one of my favourite books.

A Book I Love


I couldn't possibly say what my favourite book of all time is, so I've gone with one of my top ten.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby. 

Because I tend to read novels, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly was a slightly different choice for me, being a translation of the French memoir.

Bauby was a successful journalist, and the editor of French Elle magazine. On the 8th of December, 1995, Bauby suffered a stroke and lapsed into a coma. He awoke twenty days later, mentally aware of his surroundings, but physically paralysed with what is known as locked-in syndrome, with the only exception of some movement in his head and eyes. 

The entire book was written by Bauby blinking his left eyelid, which took ten months (four hours a day) using a transcriber who repeatedly recited the alphabet until Bauby blinked to choose the next letter. The book took about two hundred thousand blinks to write and an average word took approximately two minutes.

When I picked up the book for the first time, I knew the background of how it had been written, so I almost felt I owed it to Bauby to read it due to the hardship he undertook in writing it. I didn't realise quite how beautifully written it would be. There was a film adaption made of the book in 2007, which is equally brilliant.

I would recommend this book to anyone who needs a little perspective. 

“I need to feel strongly, to love and admire, just as desperately as I need to breathe.” Jean-Dominique Bauby

Love and peace, 

Heppy xxx

Something I feel strongly about.

Hello flower, 


So it's day two of the thirty day blog challenge. 


Today's topic is:


Something I Feel Strongly About


Today I have decided to write about gratitude. I am a firm believer in appreciating the hand you have been dealt in life, and I believe that by practicing a positive attitude you can make everything seem a little easier. 


This topic is very relevant and close to my heart due to my current situation. Having just finished university, I am currently searching for a job and living on next to nothing. I rely on my savings to pay for food and my bills/rent. This is a very stressful environment to be living in, and the stress levels have been taking their toll on my health recently, I've been poorly and losing a lot of sleep. 


A few nights ago I was lying in bed with my boyfriend, complaining about our bed. It basically came down to it being a 3/4 size - not quite big enough for a couple to share comfortably, and the useless mattress that means I wake up with backache most mornings. This developed into a rant regarding how I don't feel I'll ever be able to afford a decent bed for us. 


After a couple of moments, I paused and said "wait!" 


I suddenly realised how horribly ungrateful I was being. I remembered that there are so many people in this world who don't have a bed. There are so many people who don't have a roof over their heads. There are so many people who don't even have the privilege of living in a safe environment. 


Who am I to complain?! I was focusing way too much on what is lacking in my life and forgetting how lucky I am. I have a college education, a safe place to live in a lovely city with my boyfriend who I love and who loves me in return. I have loving parents and a great network of friends. I have so many things to be grateful for.


In summary, it is always important to remember what you have to be grateful for. A positive attitude really does go a long way. 


“Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life & the world.” (John Milton)


Gala Darling has lots to say in regard to gratitude. You should check her out! 


That's all from me today. 


Love and peace, 


Heppy xxx

The thirty day blog challenge - Day 1

Hello flower,

I've been aiming to post here more regularly, but unfortunately I've found it difficult to know where to begin. Due to having some extra free time at the moment, I've decided to set myself a little challenge to encourage my writing. I am intending to do the thirty day blog challenge as seen below.

Okay so here we go! I start with five ways to win my heart. Of course, my heart is already taken by my lovely boyfriend Tom, who I now live with, but I'm playing the blog game aren't I!?

Five Ways to Win My Heart

1) FOOD.   I think it is quite widely known amongst the people who know me that I love food. At night my boyfriend and I often lie in bed and discuss food for hours! My biggest weaknesses are currently chocolate, avocado, southern fried chicken, houmous... the list goes on.... Have you been here? Food porn! Because I can't afford a lot of food at the moment, I like to fantasize about it instead.

2) HUMOUR.  I'm a sucker for anyone who can make me laugh. Tom can make me laugh just by making the slightest noise or facial expression, and at the moment this is essential to keeping me smiling!

3) FILM.  Because films are a massive passion of mine, I love it when I find like-minded souls whom I can sit down and enjoy a good film with. Some of my favourites are Amelie, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Darjeeling Limited. 

4) CONVERSATION.  What would life be without good conversation? I love getting into deep and meaningful conversations with people (albeit when I've had too many glasses of wine...) It's an amazing feeling when you find someone who makes you think.

5) MUSIC.   Music is a huge part of my life. It is a rare point in my day when there is no music playing or I'm not humming/singing/tapping or practicing my flute. I find it hard to connect with people who don't enjoy music, because I feel like they couldn't possibly understand me. 

Well that's all folks! See you tomorrow for day two. 

Love and peace, 

Heppy xxx