Kate Winslet gives birth

She was doing so well, she was my favourite actress, she killed it in Titanic, she played the incredible Iris in the Christmas classic "The Holiday" and she's basically incredible and really attractive. Therefore when I found out that she had given birth to a bouncy baby boy on my birthday I was very happy. Elle magazine said that the name was "pending" and I've just found out what it is and I want you to all brace yourselves. I was thinking a lovely name like Elliott, something classy but unique. However, she's married to a Ned Rocknroll and the baby, is called Bear. That is Bear as in polar, koala, grizzly, teddy... Bear. I am speechless, Kate, you have well and truly let me down, I do still love you however but that name choice Bear Rocknroll is just awful. Nevertheless a lot cuter then Kimye's choice of North West but we cannot judge and we must let mummies and daddies decide for themselves but this name thing is so getting out of hand. From Peaches and Apple to Blue Ivy (really Beyoncé? I learnt as a seven year old that the plant Blue Ivy is highly poisonous, nice one B!). I'm never having a child but It will definitely be a cutesy name, I'm in love with Felicity for a girl, it means intense happiness whereas Bear means a large, heavy mammal which walks on the soles of its feet, having thick fur and a very short tail. Nice one Kate. 

Name wisely!

RHS x

Christmas Fitness

Don't moan! You all knew this was coming... I don't know one person that hasn't overindulged this Christmas (and I really don't blame you) but I heard this new diet thing on the grapevine about two months ago and thought that it would be a good one to try around Christmas and it is so easy to follow I tested it for three days in October (but I didn't have any scales then and I was going for a run a lot so not sure if it worked for me! but you can always give it a try!).

Its called the 10:14 diet - like the 5:2 but far easier and no calorie counting! yay! 

The idea is that fasting for a certain amount of time is good for us as it burns fat (as does interval training but who has time for that?...). This doesn't mean however it is a good idea to not eat for a whole day because then your body will begin to store everything and you'll put on weight, or it will begin to burn what you have stored and turn it into fats or sugars - there is a process I learnt during Biology but I definitely cannot remember that, anyway, no one wants to fast for 24 hours! 

So you stop eating at 10pm (every night, or at least five days a week to start with), you're still allowed water or herbal tea but then you can't eat until 12pm the next day, a good time to have porridge or eggs or something energy/protein-rich. Then (this is the best part) eat normally for 10 hours (till 10pm again), normally as in relatively healthy however still "normally" - have a biscuit, glass of vino, don't go to the gym (rebel) then begin to fast again for 14 hours from 10pm to 12pm. 

Simples. The best thing about 10:14 is that you can alter it so not eating from 8pm to 10am - just make sure you get 14 hours off and 10 hours of eating normally. 

Fitting this in with a couple of runs a week (when I tried it I got up and went for a run at 10am, had a shower etc then by that time it was time to eat - so that stops you feeling so hungry) and with your 5-aday (a smoothie would be a good snack during the day to get your fruit in, although however many fruits you put in a smoothie it will only ever be a maxim of 2 of your 5 a day because of the fruits being broken down). 

Also as a late Christmas present to yourself get the Nike Training App - use the 15 minute strength exercises after a 30 minute cardio session to tone. 

I hope this helps to fit into your LBD on NYE! 

RHS x 

Merry little Christmas

  It was one of those Christmases where you say it was a "quiet one" - the close family and watching the King's Speech by 8pm, in bed by 10pm reading one of the books you were brought for Christmas. After an evening of too many Scrabble competitions, teaching Grandma how to play Boggle and still explaining the rules by the last round and teaching mother how to calibrate her new iPad. Obviously all of that was after a lavish meal of, of course, turkey and all the trimmings. The turkey was in the oven by 9:45am - I know. It was huge, we got it from a farmer who lives in the village and we said we wanted one to feed five, so he chose us one that would feed 12 "just in case" - we now have 3/4 of a turkey left and I've had a turkey sandwich every day since Boxing day. Soon we will be having turkey curry, a stir fry and then no doubt the bones will be used to make father's delicacy of turkey gelatine (mm-mmmm) and stock - used for Sunday roast to make the gravy ("jus"). Aside from sounding undoubtedly Southern there, we did partake in the classic hat wearing, joke telling, cracker pulling pre-dinner entertainment. Which, by the time 2pm came around we'd already had three bottles of champagne between five of us and we still had a bottle of white and three bottles of red to get through - it was quite a merry morning. We had my suggested healthy starter of salad. Yes, really, smoked salmon, prawns, avocado, pea shoots washed down with Chablis. We never usually have dessert but this time we took the plunge and opted for Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Christmas Pudding - it was delicious (it said it would feed eight, we scoffed the lot). We turned the lights off and poured over the 40 year old Hennessy XO and lit it, it was a glorious sight that went on for a good minute, blue flames and the smell of burning cognac with the taste of cranberries, pecans and spices, doused in madagascan vanilla cream - it was a great ending. 

 I then retired to the drawing room - HA - the spare bedroom to play Christmas carols on the old Joanna and then it was time to watch the Queen's Speech - which we watched on Demand as 1) we forgot to record it because 2) we forgot it was on because 3) it wasn't the best speech in the world. Something about a man with a cast on - not sure what the wider metaphor was about but lo and behold Kate and Walter were mentioned with their new born Ronald and their first Noel. Yawn, I did actually yawn, who cares if it was Ronald's first Christmas! It was my 21st and Liz didn't mention me, or anyone else for that matter. Ronald stole the show and he's only five months old. 

 I don't know how others start their Christmas morning but we open presents first, after I've woken everyone in the house up with a hot drink - its not the same as being five and running into your parent's room screaming - you have to be a little more mature at 20 (apparently). I was working Christmas Eve and got home at about 12:30. I got myself a night cap (rosé) and heard a "Ruthie!" from the living room (It was dad, he doesn't sleep and he always calls me Ruthie, mum calls me Rufus - please don't call me either unless I really really like you). I went into the living room to find the old man wrapping presents! I thought, well this has blown Santa out the window hasn't it! He asked if I could put ribbons on a few presents because I'm "the best". So I helped him, to find out in the morning I'd actually put a ribbon on MY OWN PRESENT, the cheek! We then watched a bit of TV about some people having their own Christmas lights turn on at their own house - I know, lets kill the polar bears and let our grandchildren deal with climate change whilst we use 10 times the amount of electricity we use in one year in one month. 

 That aside, we went into the living room (everyone with their hot drinks me with my orange juice and a banana - start the day right!) to open our presents. It was a different year this year, my parents had inherited some money, so whereas the last few years it has been satsumas and nail files, this year it was mangos and a full nail set! So mother got her new iPad and dad got one of those electric golf trollies (he's getting on) I got a Nike+Fuelband - get one, you will want to exercise ALL THE TIME. No really, I've been to the gym twice and had a run once since Christmas day! - See. Nike have kind of invented their own metric system of "Fuel" points which in turn leads to steps and calories etc. Everyone needs to asses their food intake after a Roses chocolates, Foxes biscuits and Thorntons excessive indulgence, however it is the season to be merry (and bright - just whack on some more Touche Eclait on those dark circles!) so I'll let you off if you've put on half a stone because I'm right behind you! Lets all just drink a ridiculous amount and eat till we feel extremely ill and cannot move until out stomachs settle and we have another mince pie. 

 I hope you all had a very enjoyable Christmas, I hope you all were on Santa's nice list and I wish you a very happy New Year,

with love

RHS x 

Term 1, Year 2

I went back to University on 20th September, two days before rep training began and the fun started. Freshers arrived sometime after that, then it was Freshers' week, then it was the start of term, 10 lectures and four seminars down for each module down, three KitKat ChitChats (don't ask), one Pub Golf night, one trip to A&E and too many "on a scale of one to ten"'s. The first term has gone and there are five days left till Christmas and my bank balance is at an all time low. So instead of shopping in the ASOS sale I thought I would go through some of the best moments of the first term - in pictures. woohoo! 

Here we go...

Freshersss

We were christened Welfare Reps with our yellow t-shirts - me sporting a very deep tan. Sadly its faded, everyone else having "welfare bombs" consisting of red bull and coke - yum.

The reps got close at Pub Golf - involving downing pints of cider black, me downing a J2O as I can't have alcopops - drama and several TC's and far too many attempts at Zoolander - of which pictures cannot be put up, they are dreadful

The pub golf couples 

I just had to add this photo - Apols. 

Not as easy as you may think! it was rather cold 

Talks were in full swing with one couple about how many children to have. 2?

It was the first house party at the end of Freshers' week and it was safe to say everyone got rather too tipsy, to the point where it was normal to drink out of teapots and read books about "sexual fulfilment" - Natalie and I were far too busy hiding ducks and taking labels of tins to get involved with that. There definitely needs to be more house parties. 

Becca's house party was pretty amazing too. There needs to be a big house with lots of stairs to fit a lot of people in. Our flat party at the end of term got a little crowded with a capacity of only 25 people. 

"I promise you it is only water" 

"smooth drinking"

this picture sums up the sober-ness of everyone

Creeps

 CREEPS! HOW COULD I FORGET CREEPS. Nestled at one end of Middlesbrough is a bar called "Medicine Bar" and the medicine they serve is incredible (just the drinks, of course). Still a place that most people from Durham will refuse to go to because it involves mingling with Teeside University students - but everyone needs to try it once in their life. Natalie and I go as much as we can (that is, when there is a theme that I actually know, Arctic Monkeys sing "chasing cars" right?). We went twice this term, once it was Motown theme, which NEVER fails to disappoint (even with high expectations from February) and the time after that it was 90's theme? - actually I forget what theme but it is incredible, and the cocktails are amazing!

Before the Motown theme - something was funny. 

We always get bombed. 

The second creeps outing - always getting creeped on

Outside Trev's - looking like right tourists - which we were.

The "rep social" that turned into six of us (admittedly the President was ill and had to go home) on a Durham Colleges Bar Crawl - a very interesting night which involved us all trying very strange college drinks (and wishing we hadn't), running from bar to bar before they all shut, not telling anyone we were from Queen's Campus and spending far too long in Castle bar, because, lets be honest it is one of the best, apart from Chad's - that one was very interesting too. With a London Tube map turned into a map of Durham - très clever. 

Halloween

Halloween. Now that was an interesting night - cue me finding a Winnie the Pooh bear in a charity shop and pulling it to pieces, the poor thing. However, it was a great find because it was also a bag! (winning) So I really did look like a walking zombie, or at least something demented. This photo still scares me. Sarah and Natalie looking beautiful, me looking like something off The Purge. 

The Parents vist. 

With the Grandma during her visit. 

This is always a happy time. They take you shopping to buy food, they pay for you to have dinner at nice places and you get to stay in a nice hotel (thanks to my perks from work). We stayed two nights at the Marriott in Durham and got thoroughly spoilt by my mother and grandmother. This photo was taken at Gadd's Town House in Durham - probably the best restaurant there, its incredible (save the pennies to go though! Its not an everyday thing!) 

Winter Ball. 

It was 9pm on a Saturday evening and myself and Natalie had got a Dine in for 2 for £10 from M&S and were watching X Factor when the call came that helped us make our decision to go to the Winter Ball. We were too late to go to the drinks reception but we quickly got changed and went to pre's and had a pretty good night in Middlesbrough and what I was told by Ben was an old cinema... still not sure about that, it was more like a pub. But it had a pool table, a huge dance area and one of those photo booths... which some people didn't realise the photos would be made public the next day. Cue a Masquerade Summer Ball. 

"This used to be an old Cinema" 

The last few nights and turning 20. 

It was time for our first house party. Who am I kidding... we live in a tiny three-bedroom flat. What you can see from this photo is pretty much the extent of the flat. We invited 50 people, only expecting 25 and that was plenty, because after people turned up who we had no idea who they were (Thanks to the flat door being left open) it got quite warm and cosy in there. We had a DJ, Red Bull practically on tap and two of us turning 20. We were celebrating the end of term, the end of teens and the end of the year. 

I cannot believe how quickly this term has gone, or the year. It feels like yesterday that I was writing my candidate number of my Biology A Level exam and now its 18 months later and I'm nearly half way through year two. 

It has been a year of the unexpected and if there is anything I have learnt from Uni is that everyone who I know has left is very jealous. So enjoy it while it lasts! I'm planning my second degree already... or not. 

Now it is two days to Christmas, I'm sat here after taking four days to write this post, watching Christmas films, supposed to be wrapping my Grandma's presents (bird food... and other things, obviously), getting ready for work and praying I don't get blown away when I leave the house. Where is the snow?!

Anyway, I hope however you spend the last week or so of 2013 is pretty amazing and I hope you have a fabulous 2014. 

I will say that at least twice more before the end of the year! But you can't hear it enough!

Love

RHS x 

The in-between post

I have been writing a post for three days now, Its taking me ages to complete. So I thought whilst I finish it and as I try to restore my iPhone to actually hold my iTunes library (not going to happen is it?) this song came onto my iTunes and I had to share it. I used to hate it, I was never a big fan of the raps in it. But its grown on me. Beautiful song, from an artist with an incredible voice. 

Jessie Ware 'Wildest Moments' Feat A$AP Rocky (pronounced A-SAP, just clear up any confusion. He will always be A-S-A-P Rocky to me) 

RHS x

Tuesday is the day of rest

I'm exhausted. I actually have done very little today, there isn't much to do when you have no car and your parents are at work till 7pm each evening and the only friends you have near is 17 baa-ing sheep. 

However, I have actually been quite productive. I woke up at 8am - I'm quite shocked - from another nightmare! That is the second in two nights, hmm... anyway I couldn't get back to sleep so I got up had my thick porridge with honey, read four pages of last months ELLE magazine that I haven't got round to reading yet and jumped in the shower, threw on some clothes and decided it was time to finish my application for L'Oréal. I started this on 27th November, it said I had till 30th December so there was no rush. I got to the stage where it asked me for my CV and decided to save it there and come back. BUT I have finally submitted my whole application, I have also managed to apply to two more summer internships - Actually that does sound rather productive, one with a recruitment consultancy company and one with a bank in retail general management. 

After that I did feel quite accomplished, although when I received an email from all three saying I had to wait to hear anything till 12th January I was a bit like oh... great! Oh well... no online psychometric tests till then, which means I have plenty of time to start revising. Which I did, after a 30 minute walk in knee-deep mud and sheep and a tuna sandwich. I sat down to Law. It took me two hours to read eleven pages of the textbook (half a chapter, not even one lecture), not because I'm a slow reader or because I couldn't be bothered but because the stupid thing is so text heavy it almost sent me to sleep. 

So I stopped, ate two crackers with Wensleydale and cranberry cheese, a fruit salad, a GÜ pot, a banana, a biscuit and the last two days of my advent calendar (plus the cardboard). It sounds a lot but not really... hopefully we're having a full boar tonight, I'm so hungry! So then I wrapped mother and father's present and put them under the sagging Christmas tree (its a real one and its boughs are almost on the floor... we can barely fit presents underneath).

Two hours later, here I am, awaiting my mother's arrival home for some actual human communication (as opposed to Lady Gaga who tried to bite my hand off when I fed her, after which I got very itchy eyes and sneezed for about an hour). I am convinced I am going to start some more Law, but I just really cannot be bothered. 

I'm definitely feeling Love Actually tonight.

RHS x 

p.s. Congratulations to Natalie for passing her driving test. I'm so proud!xxx 

Happiness

Since my last post, I have returned from Uni, turned 20, been to bars in Derby that I have never ventured in before (and probably won't again until I take out a loan), had my nails painted, put up my first ever real Christmas tree, had a dinner party with close family friends and drank rather a large quantity of French red. 

20th Birthday drinks! 

And over the past two days I have been unbelievably happy, I thought I was before Saturday (which I was) but something that I saw on Saturday made me realise how happy I actually am (and you all will be as well!... or at least I hope - if not let me know and I'll whack out some warm fuzzies... ). 

So I woke up on Saturday morning, my 20th birthday, to be greeted by my parents with a Yves Saint Laurent gift and a Ted Baker gift bag, who doesn't love material items?! Then my mum handed me a voucher to get my nails done in my favourite spa in Derby. I was just going for a simple manicure when Mrs Lillian Bettencourt (look her up) walked in. Or should I saw Ms. She began ordering around the six-month pregnant manager of the Spa with all of these dates she wanted "beautifying" as she had a "ridiculous amount" of Christmas Parties that she simply must look fantastic at darling. She booked two pedicures in one week (how they are fitting her in, I do not know - unless it comes to monetary terms - the senior manager is on maternity leave and there are two junior therapists and the manager - who's pregnant). She also booked in four spray tans between now and New Years Eve, two facials between now and NYE and other things that I can't even pronounce or were just too extreme to contemplate. All this happened whilst she was checking her emails on her gold iPhone 5S and shaking her wrists whilst she showed off her rose gold Marc Jacobs watch and Links of London bracelet - which nobody asked to see. She then threw down her Prada and began taking off her boots to have a pedicure - which involved a serious amount of cling film, foil and what looked like soaked muslin. This was a serious pedicure for a women who's feet looked like they'd been pampered an hour previous. 

She then talked about her "breakfasts" with Mr x (not her husband, not sure whether it was her partner or not - sounded more like a business thing) - who does "breakfast"?! And then how she had started having botox in her nose... yes, not her forehead or crows feet (of which she had none because clearly she has had botox there)... she said it only bled for 20 minutes and she felt like she had a new nose... 

Whilst I waited for my nails to dry I was just staring in adoration at this woman who had clearly a ridiculous amount of money to spend on these kind of treatments and she looked incredible - her hair was perfect her make up was incredible, she wore Prada and a cute Joules knit. But there was no way she was happy. I could  see it in her eyes, especially when she looked at me like I was a piece of dust that had scraped her pedicure. It was like she was superior but actually she knew that everyone knew she was deep down trying to cover something up. I don't know what, thats obvs a bit deep for a spa, but it was interesting to see. I wonder how her pedicure held up and how her parties went. 

The pregnant woman was happy, she's wanted a baby for a really long time and now she's finally eight weeks away from the bundle of joy (errrr) entering the world. However she said she has been unbelievably sick since the first month of being pregnant, but she said it is so worth it. If you can be sick four times a day for five months and still be extremely optimistic and excited that is definitely pure happiness. 

Today, I am reasonably happy, I woke up with a pile of dishes to wash and champagne flutes to not break as well as having just compiling all of my assignments that are due in. I have six. Yes six. That have all been given to us in the space of four days. They range from 1,500 words to 4,500 words. The silver lining is that they are not due in till 10th March, some not till 2nd May! #winning. Still that is going to be a long Christmas of planning. BUT who cares... its Christmas! - that is very exciting news! 

It is interesting things that make up happy, usually the material, tangible things are only a temporary cure, I'm happy when people find mistakes in my blog posts because I can't be bothered to check them. At least you know they are written by me and not some robot I have employed! 

I hope you have a fantastic Christmas and a very happy New Year

RHS x 

Chanel No.5

It has been so long since I wrote a blog post that Blogger had logged me out. Thanks for that! But everyone starts their blog posts saying how long its been, but I have been far too busy to even call my mother (as she said was very sad on Sunday). Its been a mad few weeks of assignments and more assignments. 

But I thought this was definitely worth sharing. 

Anyone who knows me very well will know that I am in love with Coco Mademoiselle, this is also the reason why I am in love with Kiera Knightly as she looks incredible in the adverts with the camera man and her on her moped. I receive the perfume every Christmas from my Grandma. I have recently decided to venture out of Mademoiselle to see what Chance is like, however it doesn't live up. One of Chanel's oldest perfumes is No.5 - personally I am not a big fan, its a very mature scent, however the most recent advert for it is very powerful. 

It shows Marilyn Monroe being asked what she wears to bed... and "pyjama top and bottoms" is not her answer...

Enjoy

RHS x