Boats. Golf. Picnics.

I've been spending the last couple of weeks travelling around the country and visiting various people, and because of this I've fallen a bit behind on the old bloggin'...but I'm back!

Now a lot of these trips have involved sitting around drinking wine and catching up, but occasionally we decided to actually do something with our day. Monday was one of these days, with a get-together in Warwick, with Callum, Julia and Lauren, some of my fave uni people. We were going to go to the castle, but on the way passed the park and swiftly changed our minds in favour of boats and mini golf...

We tried our hand at a spot of rowing first (I was definitely the best...), and recited poetry as we glided softly down the river, stopping for a picnic in view of the castle. (This is all a massive exaggeration, we were truly awful, at both the poetry and the rowing...). 

We quickly traded it in for mini golf, which I was equally awful at...

See that paving in the corner? That's the edge of the course. I went slightly off track...

I had no right to look this smug...

Callum of course won, followed by Lauren, both showing a surprising mini-golf talent. Shockingly, I didn't come last! The beautiful Julia did - but it was pretty close...

We decided to go back to the boats, this time to try our hand at canoeing. Me and Callum were pretty good. Lauren and Julia not so much. None of us wanted to risk our cameras/phones in something so easily cap-sizable, but we did manage to get this rather fetching photo in the totally unnecessary life-jackets...

Beautiful right? 

The Graduate(s)

WOOOO I GRADUATED!!!

After three long years, countless all-nighters (some of them for essays...) and an awful lot of reading it's finally over. I'd like to thank coffee, tequila and sparknotes...

Our graduation ceremonies were hosted on the rather lovely London Road campus, which is probably the best part of Reading. It's the oldest part of the campus, and as such looks like a real old-fashioned university, perfect for Pimms and strawberries on the lawn after a nerve-wracking ceremony (no one tripped on the stairs or lost their hat - I call that a victory).

 This is not my family. This is my lovely ex-housemate (sniff) Eleanor's, but I am awfully fond of them. We could only get two tickets for the ceremony, so I spent most of the day with my dad.

 My Dad is wonderful (even if he does tend to get a bit emotional at these kind of events - there is often a tear or two shed. Sorry Dad...) and he generously provided my dress. It's Karen Millen, in House of Fraser, and it's now on sale (isn't that always the way?). My brother and sister also turned up later for a photo or two, and a celebratory meal at Jamie's on the riverside. I love Jamie's. It's so simple, and so delicious, and the staff are always fantastic. And their Earl Grey Martini? Spectacular. I may have a stab at making it and post the recipe. It's the perfect summer cocktail.

 The day was filled with lots of sunshine, photos and emotional hugging of people we're not sure how we'll live without, like these folks.

Emotional hugs all round...

 That and feeling a bit smug...

 I arrived at uni unsure if it was what I wanted to do. I had the alternative option of running away to Zanzibar (I spent some of my gap year out there and made friends with some people who were setting up their own NGO, and was more than tempted to join them), and whilst I knew university was probably the better life choice, I definitely didn't want to come. This was a feeling that resurfaced a lot in my first and second years, and there were times when I was genuinely about to leave.  Let's face it, who wouldn't rather be here than Reading...

Pure heaven. In the end though I stuck it out, and I'm so glad I did. I have some of the most amazing friends, and have had the best time (despite the lack of beach bars - although I did work at Lola Lo for a while, that's essentially the same isn't it?). I have also, shockingly, learnt a lot. I really enjoyed my course, and had some fantastic lecturers. If it's something you're unsure about, I would bear this in mind; it's only 3 years. There's plenty of time afterwards to do everything else, and it's really worth going when you're young and will really get the whole experience (largely drinking...).

So what now? I still want to travel the world. I'd like to get a job in advertising or PR. I'd like a car, and a house, and a dog that can pull off a bow tie. Maybe not the car if I end up in London like I want to. I'd like a lot of things from the future.

But first, I'd like to sit around reminiscing just a little while longer...