The Highlights of 2016

Happy New Year Everyone!

It's so crazy; another year has been and gone just like that. It only seems like a week ago since I was writing up a list of my 2016 resolutions and getting ready to start my second semester at Uni. It amazes me how naive I was this time last year; I thought that everything was going to be perfect but then David Bowie died and things have just gone on a downward spiral from that point forward. We left the EU, George Michael passed away, Freddo's have gone up in price again and Donald Trump is the new president of the USA; if you wanted a summary of how rubbish this year has been, then there you have it. 

I'll be honest with you now, when I sat down to plan this blog post to make sure I covered all the lovely things that happened to me this year, I really struggled. It's been an incredibly hard year for me; I've lost family members, friends and really struggled to come to terms with my mental health. In a nutshell, 2016 has been a shambles and it's a year I will be happy to say goodbye too tonight with a cocktail in my hand. 

So there, I've had a small rant about how rubbish 2016 has been. I don't know anyone who's loved this year, I think everyone has been down and with the amount of people we have lost, it's no wonder. What I'm going to try and do today is cover all the good things that have happened this year, and it's these things that we should be thankful for as they've been the little rays of sunshine in the darkest of times. Please don't be expecting this post to be a long one, because I'm highly doubtful that it will be, but if you'd like to see some of the good things that have happened this year, then please do continue reading. 

I'm going to start with one of the first things I can remember happening this year, and that is going to see the Rocky Horror Show with Liv. This is one of those days that will stay in my memory forever; the manic search for a costume on the night of the show, doing our hair and make up and doing the time warp with the whole theatre. I have never experienced an atmosphere in a theatre like I did that night, but it's something I would willingly experience again. I never thought I'd ever go and see Rocky Horror; Mum had raved about it for years but it just didn't seem the type of show for me. I couldn't have been more wrong. I absolutely loved everything about it, especially everyone being dressed up and going into the pub after the show which was full of people dressed up as characters from the show. I really want to go and watch it again, it was too much fun. 

Most of my happiest memories of 2016 have been spent with Liv, and the fondest memory I have is going to the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool to see a play and Ian McKellen being sat behind us. It was the most surreal thing; he is the last person you expect to come and sit behind you in a theatre, let alone a little theatre like the Everyman. I'm still not over it. After that show, Liv and I went back to my flat, got extremely drunk, sang High School Musical on karaoke and then ordered a pizza at 3am. Perfect. 

Although I've not had that many nights out this year, due to the social anxiety situation, the ones that I have managed to attend have been pretty awesome. I've met so many new people, all whilst drinking alcohol and singing along to Whitney Houston. What could be better?

One of my goals for 2017 is definitely to build up my confidence and go on more nights out, I figured that the only way I'm going to get over my fears and anxiety is by combating the thing I'm most frightened of. Wish me luck!

Can someone please explain to me how I'm already half way through my second year of Uni?! If you would have asked me this time last year if I thought I would've passed first year, I would have laughed at you and told you that I was going to drop out. But here I am a year later, still writing and still hoping to be able to throw my cap into the air in 2018. I somehow managed to pass my first year with a very high 2:1 which made me even more determined to work hard in the second year. 

In order to celebrate the end of exams and writing for the first year, the Uni gang and I headed to Chester Zoo for a writers day out. It was definitely one of my favourite days of the year and something I would like to do again; the weather was so nice, we got to do lots of fun things and I got a toy penguin! As you know, this year I've lost a lot of friends, but having such wonderful friends at University really makes up for the people who have exited my life in 2016. They make me so happy. 

One of the many perks of my friends living around the country for University is the fact I get to go on adventures to go and see them. 2016 saw me take two trips to Wolverhampton to go and see Kathryn. However the second trip sticks in my mind the most as I got to share it with Liv and Charlotte; we went down to surprise and support Kathryn who was doing her final Musical Theatre showcase. It was such an adventure and I loved being able to explore Wolverhampton; it's surprisingly a really nice place. Watching Kathryn perform, I felt like such a proud Mum, and when we surprised her with flowers at the end of the night her reaction was priceless. I can't wait to go and visit more new places in 2017; Wolverhampton, Durham and London are definitely on my list. 

Just a few days after we returned from Wolverhampton, I turned 19. This was both a lovely time in my life and a very hard time in my life. At this point in the year, my mental health was at its worst and I struggled to leave the house, but my Birthday was one of those things that made me smile. It was so nice to spend the day with my family and friends, but it made me realise how many people have disappeared from my life since I started University, and how many people have replaced them. 

Another highlight of the year for me was going on day trips with Liv and Rach. We literally come as a three and I couldn't ask for two better girls to call my best friends. They've been extremely supportive towards me this year, I really don't think I'd be where I am right now if it wasn't for their love, kindness and understanding. I'm such a lucky gal! 

In July, on the hottest day of the year, we took a trip to the Blue Planet Aquarium in Cheshire and headed under the sea to go and spend some time with the fishes. It was so tranquil walking round and watching the fish as they swam around in their tanks; so peaceful and free. This trip also saw me make friends with a stingray called Sid who kept swimming over my head and saying hello to me. Okay, I know you're laughing at that last bit but I'm not joking, he was literally saying hello. 

One of the best parts of the year was going on our annual holiday to Cornwall. I love that place more and more every time I visit and I think it will always make it into my highlights post. This year was my favourite holiday we've ever had; we visited so many new places such as Lands End and Boscastle and I really enjoyed taking photos on my new camera. There's something about sitting on a beach listening to the waves crash against the rocks and watching as the sky paints the most beautiful picture as the sun sets. That was really poetic wasn't it?!

Boardmasters was another wonderful thing that happened this year, and although we didn't go to the music festival, the surfing festival was just as good. Cornish cider, music and surfing; could you really want anything else?

I can't wait to go back to Cornwall in 2017 and be able to chill out for a whole two weeks! 

There hasn't been a photo of Buster on this blog post and it'd be horrible for me to leave him out. So here he is being his happy little self. I promise this photo does have some relevance to this post; I took this at a Bichon Frise meet up that the whole family attended a few months ago. It was so fun to meet so many little Bichons, be able to speak to their owners and watch Buster make lots of new friends. I'm a little bit obsessed with going to these meet ups and I can't wait to go to lots more in the New Year. 

And finally, the thing you've all been waiting for. Would it really be a 2016 highlights post if I didn't mention my Halloween trip to Disneyland Paris?

Every time I go to Disneyland Paris, I am guaranteed to have a wonderful trip and make so many magical memories. But this trip was something else, this trip meant something else. If I were to tell you that I'd been on holiday with twenty people I'd never met before, you'd think I was crazy or you'd try to talk me out of it. But it was the best decision I made in 2016. I gained so much confidence, travelled to another country for the first time on my own and made so many wonderful new friends. I look at how lonely I was at the start of this year and now look at how loved I feel by such a beautiful group of people, it warms my heart. I haven't been this happy in such a long time, and with these lovely people surrounding me, I think 2017 is going to be a good year. Or at least I'm hopeful.  

My dreams came true when I met Marie, Peter Pan, Snow White and Mickey Mouse; characters I have wanted to meet for such a long time. Halloween 2016 was the time when dreams came true and I can't wait to return to make more magical memories. 

So, they are just some of the bigger things and events that happened during 2016, but some smaller things happened too and I'd just like to dedicate this little paragraph to them. I got myself a new job which I absolutely love and have learnt how important it is that you work with people who you get along with. I've become closer to my family and re-kindled my love for reading as well as completely given my room a makeover. I've overcome my fears of both travelling and the dentist as well as becoming more independent and learning how to look after myself. And to top it all off, I had an absolute blast watching both The Vamps and Jess Glynne in concert! 

Overall, although it's been a shambles of a year, it gives me hope that 2017 is going to be a little bit brighter. I'm so thankful that I'm still alive, healthy and that my family are too. Surely that's the only thing that matters after all. If you're not feeling hopeful about the New Year, you've got to think about the changes that you want to see and then go out and make them. If there's one thing I've learned this year, if you want something then you've got to go out and get it. 

As you're reading this I'm probably going to be getting ready to go out and welcome in what will hopefully be a year of happiness, love and magic. 

Lots of Love,

Meg

xox

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Cornwall 2016: Lands End, Looe and Boardmasters

This is the second part in the series of my holiday posts, and after an amazing first week down in Cornwall it was going to be very hard for the second week to top it. We did a little bit more exploring in the second week but spent most of it on the beach. The weather was gorgeous so there was no better place to be. We also found ourselves stuck in the middle of a carnival in Penzance and it was Boardmasters so I was completely in my element. I'm going to warn you in advance that this post may have a lot of photos in it, but I like taking them and they do look pretty so it's a win win situation. 

At the end of my last blog post, we'd just finished a wonderful day exploring the beautiful village of Clovelly. It was an extremely long drive for Dad and he was very tired so we decided to take the next day off and just relax around the caravan. Dad went off to ride one of the horses whilst Mum and I sat in the sun for a while and tried to top up our tans. As we had been in the Caravan all day, we thought we'd go out on the night to go and see what Perranporth had to offer. We usually go to the beach at Perranporth but we never take the time out to go and look around the shops. 

I went back to visit my favourite shop in the town which is called Sama Sama, I want everything in there. The dream catchers they sell are so beautiful and it's where I get a lot of the inspiration for my bedroom from. It reminds me of a little beach hut that sells the quirkiest things; I just love it. We then made our way back down to the beach where we watched the beginning of the sunset, but it was a little too windy for Mum so we had to move. Wetherspoons was only round the corner from the beach, so not being able to resist the temptation, we ended up in the pub and I ended up with a pitcher of woo woo (and we can all probably guess how that night ended). 

After a day of resting and getting back to normal, we decided it was time for another adventure. Lands End is one of the most famous tourist attractions down in Cornwall, and it's basically the furthest southern point in the UK. It's best known for it's famous sign which tells you how far away you are from both New York and John O'Groats. Despite us going to Cornwall for six years, we've only ever been to Lands End once, and that was when it was all closed and there was no one around. 

After a lot of begging, I finally convinced my Dad that it would be a great day to go and visit again. We didn't really get the full experience the first time we visited, and six years is a very long time so a lot could have changed. When we pulled up at the landmark, the view was just breath taking. The sea was the bluest I have ever seen it and the weather was just glorious, it was the perfect day. 

We made our way down towards the sign where we stood looking out to sea, and I found it remarkable that on the other side of the ocean was New York City, a place where my Auntie was at that particular moment. I was then tapped on the shoulder by a lovely man who asked me if I could take a photo of him and his family with the sign, and with my amazing photography skills (obviously) he was very impressed. In order to return the favour, he politely offered to take a photo of me and my family. The photo is definitely my favourite photo from the trip, and it's insane to be able to compare the photo from six years ago to the photo now; so much has changed. 

Mum and Dad then went to explore whilst I sat on the rocks with Buster and watched the sea. I have never felt so calm and so happy to just be in the moment. I spotted two dolphins who seemed to be playing in the sea and then went to visit the first and last refreshment house in England. I also managed to get my hands on a postcard from Lands End which was stamped there and then sent back home for us to receive when we arrived. 

As we were leaving the beautiful landmark, we bumped into the cutest little 12 week old puppy called Fifi. We spent a while speaking to her owners as she sat playing with her toy pasty that was twice the size of her. Buster wasn't very happy that another dog was getting all the attention, but he'll always be the cutest little peanut in my eyes. 

We didn't want our day to end so soon, so we thought we would extend our adventure and take a trip to Penzance. But before we did that, we went and paid a visit to the first and the last Inn in England. I feel like this may be confusing to some of you so I'll explain; it's the first Inn that you will see when you enter England and the last Inn you will see before you leave. We stopped for a drink, because it would have been rude not too, and then headed back to the car to continue on our journey to Penzance. 

When we arrived in Penzance, there was an elecctric atmosphere and it was something I had yet to experience in any Cornish town. As we weaved our way through the crowds in the town, we thought it was unusually busy for a weekday. Dad, being the nosy parker that he is, went up to one of the townspeople and asked what all the fuss was about. It turns out that we had picked an incredibly special day to visit Penzance as the man engine was going to be visiting too. The man engine is a gigantic puppet, similar to the puppets that visited Liverpool a couple of years ago, and he was there to commemorate Cornish Mining. 

The town was buzzing, everyone was dressed up, there were flashmobs in the streets, bands were playing outside most pubs and a group of ladies were Morris dancing.There was a girl dressed up as a mining statue and she was one of those people who dresses up as things and then moves, well she was amazing, just the way she moved was incredible. The whole thing was just spectacular, and it added that little bit of quirkiness to the town which I loved. 

We didn't get the chance to stay for all the celebrations as it was a little too crowded for the dog and people were standing on him. Instead, we made our way to the oldest pub in Penzance where an AWESOME band called Broken Down were playing. Everyone was sat around them on the streets, on chairs and on blankets whilst they played some amazing covers of song such as Billie Jean and Shut Up and Dance. I, along with many other people, got up dancing and it just made the day even more special. It's definitely something I won't be forgetting in a very long time. 

After another long journey, we decided to spend the next two days on the beach. It was lovely to sit and relax and I also made friends with another 10 week old puppy called Babooshka who was a cross between a poodle and a collie. She belonged to the owners of the cafe on the beach and I loved being able to take her for walks and play with her. 

This also saw me do something that I look forward too every year. Yep, I got my Pauline's Baguette. Pauline's is my favourite bakery in Newquay and they sell the nicest cakes and sandwiches. I look forward to getting one every year, so I went and got my classic ham salad baguette. And it was great, I felt like I was in food heaven. Yum. 

Two full days spent on the beach was enough for us, so we decided to head out on another adventure to a place we visit every year. If I didn't go to Cornwall, my parents probably wouldn't go and visit, but because I'm with them, they feel that they have to because it's my favourite place in the county. Yep, that's right, we went to Looe. 

There's something about Looe that I just love, I don't know if it's the little fishing town atmosphere or the smell of the street bakeries but I love it more and more every time I visit. We started off our Looe adventure in true Goodier style by calling in at our favourite pub for a cup of coffee. It's been done up since we last visited and it looks so modern and classy, plus it had great lighting for taking photos. 

We then started to wonder up and down the lanes, calling in at all the little shops and boutiques to see what they had to offer. I always find that the fashion is much nicer down in Cornwall, the vintage stores are some of my favourites. The rest of the shops remind me of something you'd find on Diagon Alley in Harry Potter, they're all so magical and mysterious. Each Cornish town has an air of mystery about it and I think that's what draws me back to visit each year. I made a purchase from one of the little shops, and that came in the form of a rainbow flower crown. I've wanted a flower crown for years, and I finally gave in and got one for myself. It would look perfect for a festival look for boardmasters (that's what I told myself anyway). 

The beach at Looe is absolutely stunning, so we stayed there for a little while and relaxed in the sunshine. Then we started to head back to the car, not before calling back at our favourite pub for the tastiest meal. Dad and I opted for BBQ chicken whilst Mum went for a curry and it was so yummy. The photos are making me hungry just looking at them. Being the greedy family we are, we also called in at the town bakery and got some cakes for the journey home. 

After a very competitive game of air hockey with Dad in the arcade, we made it back to the car and then went over to East Looe. This is where all the hotels are situated and it's only a 10 minute walk from the town, but it's equally as beautiful. It was the perfect photo opportunity and the views are breath taking. I love just sitting there and watching the waves crash against the rocks, the colours of blue just glitter in the sunlight! 

We spent our second to last day back on the beach. We had to go back one more time to say goodbye. As we were yet to watch the sunset on a Newquay beach, we stayed the whole day and watch as the sunset on the night. I've said it once and I'll say it again, Newquay has the most spectacular sunsets! Also shoutout to that surfer for getting a good wave, he probably doesn't even know I have that photo of him but he did really well. Gold star for you surfer guy. 

I wish I could show you photos of me surfing, but my parents are not skilled photographers and the photos are either extremely blury or they've got the photo as I have fallen in. 

Now we're here, the final day of the holiday. At this point, my hair was annoying me because my fringe was too long and I couldn't see. Fun fact for you there! 

The final day of the holiday saw us head down to Fistral Beach to catch the first day of Boardmasters. This is always one of the highlights of my holidays; sitting in a tent listening to some absolute tunes and drinking cider (what more could you want in life?). We sat in the tent for around four hours, drinking cider and listening to the DJ as she played Jamiroquai and Jocelyn Brown. Everyone was either up dancing or sat on the beanbags just chilling. It was just so chill, I loved it! 

We then ventured down to the beach to watch some of the surfers as they competed against one another. This resulted in me having my photo taken with a giant flip flop and the whole fam ending up on a giant deck chair (including the dog). Speaking of my little bubs, it was hilarious how chilled he was at the festival. He just sat there on his towel, didn't bother with anyone and slept the whole time. He's such a chilled beach bum, I love it! 

Boardmasters 2016 treated us well, so well in fact that I even got a hoodie to commemorate the occasion. It's the comfiest hoodie I own, so big ups to Boardmasters for providing the best music, the most chill atmosphere and the comfiest hoodies!

So, that's it. My Cornwall post of 2016 is over. I hope you've enjoyed reading what we got up to, and looking through some of my holiday photos. 

Lots of Love,
Meg

xox

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