196. Finding bindi's and fake tatoo's during packing up

During the packing up of my room (we are moving hence the behind blog posts) -which my sister helped me with- we discovered some bindi's which we then put on our foreheads we also discovered some fake tatoo's I got a trap stamp, Little Sister got a bracelet and Practically Sister got a tatoo surrounding her belly button. Being silly with body decorations was a brilliant relief from the stress throwing junk away causes, it really made me smile.

195. The end of the Harry Potter marathon

http://baffledandconfused.blogspot.com/2011/07/8-films-2-days.html This explains the marathon and how much I enjoyed the latest one. Harry Potter holds a place in my heart and seeing the end at last really made my day.

194. Standing in a queue with like minded nerds for Harry Potter

We went to see the first showing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part II at midnight, Best Friend and I got there two hours early thinking we would be some of the first people there. However when we arrived there was already quite a queue we sat down in our place in the queue and after about half an hour the front of the queue (some of which were dressed up) stood up and burst into a chorus of 'What is this mysterious ticking noise?'. It was a glorious moment standing in a room of equally minded nerds, beautiful. One of the best things was knowing everyone else there loved Harry Potter as much as we did. It really made my day.

193. Prom

I think this was a night that I partly enjoyed because I wasn't expecting to, it felt too much like an obligation more than something to get excited about. Dressing up and seeing people from my year all in one place the day after getting back from a spectacular holiday for some reason didn't appeal to me. However after you have dressed up and look all nice, going to a reasonably posh venue, being fed nice food and chatting/dancing with your Friends is a pretty nice thing to do. One of the funniest things was Music Friend who got quite merry meaning Best Friend, Practically Sister and Literary Friend had to walk/carry her home even though she was insistant she could walk by herself. The night definitely exceeded my expectations which made my day.

192. Walking round Cork to the soothing sounds of Irish Musicians

This is the last of my Irish posts as day 192 was the day we left. It has been difficult writing about my holiday to Ireland because it was so brilliant chosing just one thing from each day has been almost impossible. Our last day was spent wandering around Cork and then at the airport. One of the best parts of our wanderings was the musicians we found at one point we even managed to secure a grassy spot behind a wall so our conversation was ontop of some beautiful singing. I would jump at the chance to go back to Ireland infact I didn't want to leave it really made me smile.

191. Making sausage and onion gravy for the first time in a youth hostel and doing it beautifully

As there were four of us in Ireland we took turns in making the meals in pairs the best thing I made when there was sausages and onion gravy (Good Friend made mash to go with it) a dish I had seen being made but never made. I decided I would only use one pan to save on washing up. We bought two packets of gravy mix because we wern't sure how much it would make and ended up with really thick gravy and lots of it, just what you want in gravy really. It was a truely beautiful meal one of my favourites I must admit and I will definitely be making it again sometime. It really made my day.

190. When a strangers suggestion turns a day into a spontaneous day trip

On the morning of this day we went down to change our door cards and the Irish man at reception asked us what we were doing and recommended while we were in Cork taking the bus to Blarney for the day to visit the Largest Irish department shop and Blarney Castle. We had a little chat and decided as all we were going to do was explore that day instead we would take his advice and it was good advice. Our day in Blarney was brilliant we kissed the stone, saw a poison garden, explored the castle, had tea and scones, I climbed a tree, we did a little shopping. There is something brilliant about spontaneous trips that I adore it made my day.

189. The suspense as a competition on who can take the best photo of Irish scenery comes to an end

After a quick jaunt to the Guinness factory we boarded a train from Dublin to take us down to Cork on that train we chatted and Best Friend and Good Friend got their camera's out to snap the Irish scenary we passed. One of the main features of Irish scenary is the trees which just so happened to block the lovely view whenever they went to take a photo. It became a competition who can take the most pictures of the view not blocked by the trees; well it would have been a competition if anyone was counting. Watching them battle nature really made my day.

188. Learning about Irish literature on a pub crawl

For our last night in Dublin we went on the Literary pub crawl and it was brilliant. We got told interesting stories about the writers of Dublin, watch selections of their writing being preformed, got introduced to five different literature related pubs in Dublin and I even managed to answer a literature related question (well I guessed correctly before anyone else). I was a brilliant night combining two wonderful things (literature and pubs) in a fantastic location (Ireland). Really made my day.

187. When Best Friend curses inappropriately

We were sat on a bench in an irish memorial (the one Queen Elizabeth laid a wreath in on her visit to Ireland) and I don't quite remember what we were talking about but one of us must have said something shocking as Best Friend curses really loudly (it wasn't a shocking curse something along the 'bloody hell' line). The look on her face after she realised just completely made my day.

186. Guinness, chips, live music all in a traditional Irish pub

Our second evening in the Great Green Land started with a small disaster during the cooking of tea the original idea for the meal was omlette and potato fritters turned out to be a little ambitious for the weary traveller and we ended up only with a quarter of a delicious omlette lovely as it was it failed to fill us up. After the fritter mishap we decided to head to a pub the first of which we could not figure out where the entrance was. This turned out was a lucky thing as the pub we ended up at was brilliant it had the best atmosphere and beautiful chips. It was in this pub (called The Celt) that I drank my first full pint of Guinness and to my suprise (and the suprise of my Friends as I have never really enjoyed beer) I really enjoyed it Ireland has turned me into a Guinness drinker. Anyway at 9:30 the live Irish music started and it was beautiful there were even to my suprise songs that I knew sung. There isn't anything quite like it really made my day.

185. The greener green of Ireland

As mentioned in my previous post I travelled to Ireland in a post exam celebration. As the plane to the great country landed I knew it was where I wanted to be the old saying the grass is greener on the other side should be changed to the grass is greener in Ireland (that would have been a joke was it funny enough). It was surreal landing in Ireland; as it always is when going to a country you have never been to before. When I turned to Best Friend and said the green was greener, how 'typically Irish' (a phrase I used frequently on the trip) she said that had to be my reason for today and I agreed. Green green really makes my day.

184. That feeling of holiday anticipation

Before a holiday there is usually months of build up as it is talked about and the excitement grows. Earlier this year an after exams trip to Ireland for 3 Friends and me was planned and there was excitement but then exams rapidly approached and it was just a distant thought the light at the end of a dark, dark tunnel no quite real. In the days after exams the relief at their end was so great the anticipation didn't really have a proper space until the day before during the half frantic organisation of what 55cm x 40cm x 20cm bag I could take and what would fit in it (we only took on hand luggage to save money). The glorious thought that in 24hrs I would no longer be here sustained me right through that and pretty much made my day.

183. Pesto

This glorious green godess has been a great friend to my pasta all these years yesterday it calmed me down during packing jitters and it always makes me smile.

182. Getting to know someone elses cousins

I have nine cousins; although five of them I dont see regularly, only two of my cousins are my age and they are in the side I don't really see much of (we also have little in common). The cousins that I do see are all more than four years younger than me (and two of those live in America and I only see in the summer holidays). So it was really nice the other day at Best Friends Birthday party getting to properly know two of her cousins (I had met them briefly before) who are around our age. Although family is not chosen you do kind of choose which of your family you make Friends with and I enjoyed getting to know some of Best Friends family that she had made Friends with, we had a few really nice conversations. The whole party was wonderful but that just really made me smile.

181. Watching Wimbledon with Pimms

I have to admit I have never really watched tennis before infact in our house no sporting event was ever really played on the TV (not ones that I watched anyway) I would occasionally sit down with my Dad and watch a bit of the Grand Prix but that was as far as it got. The other day I went round to Best Friends house where apparently Wimbledon is on the TV for pretty much the whole time it's on even if no one is watching it. It was really nice to sit down and watch a tennis match (even though the player we were rooting for lost) and the fact that her Mum got us a glass or two of Pimms made it even better. After a while I learnt the rules and we just had a really nice chat over a tennis match. A lovely evening, really made me smile.

180. Going 'raun taun'* with Best Friend

As mentioned on reason 179. Best Friend recently aquired another year onto her age meaning she can now party like its 1984 (well maybe not but 2011 doesn't have the same ring to it). I have been 'raun taun' before and although it was quite fun, it was not very special, not something I would consider regularly. The other night as an extended Birthday celebration however Best Friend organised a night out and I got to experience a whole other side. I don't know why she made it better but she did I didn't surpass merry on the inebriation scale but I did maintain my merryness throughout the evening which is brilliant. It was a hilareous night I got leaned on by a very funny Drunk Friend for half the evening, got called pretty by a guy with a tutu over his jeans and got told how funny I was by Best Friend on the walk home. All it all it was a brilliant night and it really made my day.

*'raun taun' = round town (this was explained on the previous post I know)

179. The person I have been waiting for turning 18

Best Friend has a late June Birthday which to be fair is a good time if you want good weather on your Birthday (well it should be) however in the year you turn 18 it is not as advantageous as you get to watch all your Friends turn 18 and be able to 'party hard' 'raun taun'* or even buy a bottle of alcohol for an evening. Now I'm not very enamoured to the 'raun taun' scene (that could be to do with the locals round here) and whenever I buy alcohol it's usually to share with Best Friend but it still isn't the same as being able to do these things yourself. She has taken her suffering very well and bore it out even when annoyed but for her I can imagine her Birthday has come as a great relief and it means I no longer have to listen to her moan (that was not a serius comment for those wondering and Best Friend I do apologise). I'm just really happy that it was her Bithday and I love her so her Birthday is always going to make my day.

* raun taun = round town for those not aquainted with northen lingo

178. Introducing the Family Dynamic to a stranger

My Sisters, Mother and I went to the 21st Birthday of a Family Friend the other day and as he is now at uni there were a lot of people there who we didn't know (infact most of the people there I didn't know). There was one Friend in particular who they called strange who really made himself welcome and within about an hour of the party had managed to talk to all four of us. There was even a moment in the kitchen before food where he was accidently surrounded by us all. As we live in a four girl household we do have our own dynamic which is quite individual and this was noticed by said Stranger and commented upon. I always quite enjoy hearing about our Family Dynamic from a third person perspective. It really made my day.

177. An on screen Best Friend dynamic

This is the second time I am writing this post as it didn't save my first attempt but here goes again. Best Friend, Good Friend and I went to see Bridesmaids the other day, although there were a couple of dodgy moments (well just ones that prescribe to a humour I don't share) I did really enjoy it (on most points I think I agree with Best Friend http://filmnerdsftw.blogspot.com/2011/06/review-bridesmaids.html). One of the things I did like was comparing mine and Best Friends Friendship with that of the onscreen one we do have a different dynamic but the core principles are the same. I love my Best Friend and it's nice to see a feeling you have portrayed on the big screen and I hope if I ever find someone who tries to replace her, that she will fight for me (and vise versa). It really made me smile.

176. Having a soundtrack to an evening

Music Friend had a couple of us round to her house the other night and in the background we had Glastonbury on. There is something so wonderful about letting the mellow sounds of Coldplay wash over you while your having a conversation about life the world and everything. Really made my day.

175. The end of school life

I finished my last exam the other day (well the other week this new found freedom is probably the reason for my blog being so behind) which means I am no longer a school student, a very weird feeling. I don't have to go back again (except to pick up my results). This summer is free from any burdens as my future is no longer properly in my hands it mainly depends on the news I recieve on the 18th August, I have no obligations to fufil I can sleep for a whole day and am not losing revision time, watching rubbish television is now guilt free. Basically the world looks pretty good right now as I was walking down the road after my last exam it properly hit me and I skipped the rest of the way home with a huge grin on my face. It was a beautiful moment.

174. Getting linked to amusing book related comic strips

I was having a stressful day and Best Friend sent me this:
http://musicfromblueskies.tumblr.com/post/6787546548
Made my day.