Ask Bee Anything Part One: Books, The Future, Relationship and Beauty

Hello everyone! A rather long time ago now (my bad!), I asked you guys whether or not you had any pressing questions for me and, surprisingly, I received a fair few replies! I thought I'd finally get round to answering those questions in hope that the answers will prove vaguely interesting/useful to you and other readers. If you'd like to ask me a question, please do so in the comments below! Feel free to leave your own answers to the questions below too, I'm a little bit nosey! 

1. What is your favourite book and why? Where does your love for books and reading come from?

- from Nina

As an English student, and general bookworm, I personally find it remarkably difficult to suggest a stand out book for me, so far. I'd hate to suggest that one book was my favourite, simply because there is so much choice and there are so many books left on this planet for me to read. Am I the only one that couldn't possibly choose?

I think my love of books and reading came from sleeping over at my Grandma's house when I was younger. She'd ply us with cups of tea before tucking us in to bed and reading us a story from the great big story book she kept on the shelf. Every time we'd stay over, we'd get her to read the same stories over and over again, but it never mattered to us. We loved them all the same! Secondly, my Mamabear (yes, that's what I call her!) gave me her original 1970's copies of the Famous Five series to read as a child and I instantly fell in love with those too. I can remember feeling really amazed at how I could settle down in my playroom (read: bombsite conservatory) and find myself escaping into a whole new place altogether. I steadily became addicted to them, and the tales of the Faraway Tree, and grew a bit older and developed an obsession with Jacqueline Wilson's books! If I ever become a mother, I'm going to make sure I read them a story every night and you can bet that they'll get the Famous Five forced upon them! 

2. What do you hope to do after university? Will it be related to your degree?

- from Gemma

I'm studying for an 'English with Creative Writing' degree and, essentially, it's creative writing that I wish to get into. I'm not a people person when it comes to workplaces: customers are rude and the majority of the time I wish to punch them all in the face. I want to immerse myself in fiction and string words together that people become moved and captivated by. I'd love to have my own novels, poems and children books published. Obviously, these are all big dreams at the moment but, hopefully, I can put it all into practice and happily spend my days writing away in solitude away from humans. Ah, bliss!

3. Who is your favourite childhood character?

- from Alice

I thought long and hard about this question! I surrounded myself with so many amazing characters when I was younger, from the animals of Beatrix Potter's tales to the eclectic mix of Disney's creations. However, I've decided to go with Dahl's Matilda; it was a bloody tight call between her and Mary Poppins! I can remember forcing my Mamabear to play my Matilda video for me on a bi-weekly basis and I adored the book, equally. I was just fascinated by this girl that was so amazingly independent and I made it my life's goal to read every book in a library. I'm starting to realise that this may have been a bit of a bold wish but, you never know! Her passion for life and ability to find good in even the worst situations really inspired me as a child and, to be honest, still does to this day.

4. Can we have some sort of top 5/10 post about books or authors or genres or something, please? How much journal/notebookwriting/drawing do you do and could we have more looks into it and stuff? Thanks mateo.

- from Jamie

I may do a post along the lines of top 5 authors, etc. I'm not really one for discussing literature or picking and choosing though. I genuinely don't think I could pick out my 'top' books. I will definitely continue to do my mini book reviews though so you can gauge what I've liked and disliked from those! I tend to keep my journal with me everywhere I go, in case a humorous character pops up that I wish to remember or I see something that inspires me. I may delve into it if people would like to see how I 'work'!

5. What book marked you the most when growing up? Do you have a most read book, maybe with pages loose? What's the story about you and your boyfriend - How did you meet? How do you spend time together? Do you have any beauty advice for days when illness hits hard and you have to convince everyone that you're okay?

- from Sophie

The books that marked me the most throughout childhood were definitely the aforementioned 'Famous Five' series by Enid Blyton, a wide selection of Beatrix Potter's tales, the Harry Potter series and all of Jaqueline Wilson's books! As for 'most read', I'd probably have to go with the Famous Five books again because I read my mum's original copies that have done the rounds for decades!

My boyfriend, Luke, and I went to secondary school together. He was the rather quiet cute looking one and I was the mental nutcase with a blonde streak through her hair that liked to comply to teacher's demands as much as she liked to rebel against them. Fast forward a while and we've now been together for over two and a half years and we also live together. We spend our time having adventures in new places, over indulging in TV seasons til the early hours and we share a mutual love of fajita nights! With regards to beauty advice, I'd suggest that it is important to follow a strict cleansing, toning and moisturising regime. When I'm ill, my skin tries to suck every last bit of moisture out of it so I can come off looking quite dull and dry. I now only wear make-up for special events/adventures and try and let my skin breathe as much as possible. I'd suggest you buy yourself a fresh face mask from LUSH, a killer lipstick shade and a decent mascara - all things that will help you look a little more alive :) Although, you're rather beautiful as it is! 

I hope this post has proved to be interesting! I've still got some questions to share so if you'd like to add to them, feel free. I'm off to chill out with my jounal ♥

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A Little Life Update & A New Addition To The Family

Hello everyone! Since it's a drizzly grey August day, I thought I'd turn on my laptop and update you all on my current doings. If you follow me on Twitter and Instagram, you'll know that I'm currently at Luke's house puppy sitting the family's new addition, Woody. He's a beautiful black labrador with a penchant for tormenting slugs, attempting to chew anything in sight (wires, my iPhone, my favourite cardigan and sandals being his favourites) and waking up at the crack of dawn. He's extremely lucky that he is heartbreakingly gorgeous because it makes it difficult to stay infuriated with him for long! As you can imagine, puppy sitting takes up a lot of man hours so that probably explains why I've been quiet here at Viva for a few days! Anyone got any puppy advice/tips they think they should share with me? Feel free to leave it below. I'm going to be chilling out here for the next few days, watching the world go by and appreciating the silence of the countryside. 

In other news, my health has been taking a little bit of a knock recently so I'm now taking even more tablets to try and stabilise it all. I'm pretty sure that people will soon be able to hear me rattling along before I actually come in to view. I do have to say a little shout out to the poor doctor who had to deal with me bawling my eyes out in his presence! He coped extremely well and soon the conversation turned to the Famous Five and our mutual fear of Uncle Quentin! I just take each day as it comes where my health is concerned - good days are often followed by 'oh god I can't move I'm in so much pain' days so it's difficult to really make plans, as such. Having said that, some of my closest friends from the old Sixth Form days are coming round this coming weekend for takeaway food, a movie and a chance to meet the little puppy so I'm pretty excited for that! Everyone seems to be growing up so much these days: announcements of engagements, babies birthdays and house moves are all commonplace on my Facebook feed of late. Does anyone else ever think 'Uh oh, time to get my shit together?!'.

Once everything has settled a little, I'll be sure to post some interesting things over here on Viva! Anyway, I'm going to leave this little update here because Woody is currently dragging my laptop bag off to his lair. If you'd like regular updates from me then please feel free to follow me on Twitter and Instagram - it's a lot easier to send a small tweet than to blog when my eyes are always on the pup! I'm off to do a little more puppy sitting and do some serious blog reading - leave me some of your links in the comments if you'd like! ♥

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When Bee Got A Tattyoo...

Confession: I love temporary tattoos. For years and years, I've worshipped tattoo adorned rock gods and always secretly (not so secretly anymore!) wished that I could be even an inch as cool as them and their beautiful sleeves. With this in mind, I was pretty excitable when the lovely Katia at Tattyoo contacted me asking if I would like to be sent some to review. I think I may have even let out a 'hell yes!'. She very kindly sent me both the 'Diamond' and the 'Romance I' designs and I didn't waste too much time leaving them in their packaging! Not only are these designs pretty cute, I'm also pretty fond of the 'Anchor' design and the 'Party Bunny'. 

So who, what, when, why? Tattyoo are a pretty new business offering artistic tattoo designs for really reasonable prices. Not only are they reasonable, they also offer free shipping and worldwide delivery! You can't really complain, can you?! These tatts would be great to put in little gift bags for your mates or even to have lying around for days when your outfit calls for an edge. Tattyoo even have designs for kids - that'd cure many a party bag content dilemma, I'm sure. The tattoos themselves were easy peasy (technical term) to apply and looked really bold once applied to my arm. You just have to make sure that you place a steady hand over the transfer whilst it absorbs the water and then you're good to go! I would definitely purchase these with my own money and, therefore, cannot wait for their looming second collection! I'm one step closer to being as cool as my rock god idols.....

These were definitely a lot of fun and so cheap that you could order them in bulk and do a bit of a variation on Jeremy Kyle! This particular tattoo lasted me a few days, complete with multiple showers and bathsI hope Rosie liked the one I slid in her card for her to try out! I'll instagram a photograph of the 'Romance I' tattoo on my skin once I've applied it - didn't want to apply them both at the same time through fear of feeling too hardcore! What's your view on the world of temporary tattoos? Pretty cool or a little childish? Let me know in the comments below. I'm off to the doctors for a little check up before celebrating my sister's results. You? ♥

Temporary tattoos courtesy of Tattyoo

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What Bee Did: See No Evil, Bristol

Hello everyone! I hope you're all chirpy and enjoying the end of this interesting summer (or winter for all y'all that are currently down under/elsewhere). I'm currently a little bit under the weather, quelle surprise,  so I'm getting myself up the doctors for a human M.O.T! I'm not entirely sure what this week is going to consist of for me but I'm hoping it'll entail a bit of writing, getting better and a visit to see Luke's new puppy! Anyway, more on that later....

Like most, I read a lot of blogs from people based in the bustling streets of London; if i'm honest, whilst London is rather bloody brilliant, I always think it's a shame that other places, particularly those in the South West, never get the credit/blogspace they deserve. Therefore, I thought the annual 'See No Evil' street art display in Bristol was the perfect way to exhibit life in the shire and beyond. Furthermore, I know a lot of you are rather creative creatures, and people seemed to like the little snippets I posted on instagram, so I thought you'd appreciate this little insight into my sunny Sunday afternoon shennanigans. 

Fatherbear, Little Cub and I all crammed into his battered old car and headed up the A roads to a very sunny Bristol city. As ever, the city was packed full of people, unusually creating a relatively happy vibe that was actually pretty infectious! The street art took place on Nelson Street, not far from the new fangled shopping centre that people flock to Bristol for. For those that don't know what 'See No Evil' is, it's basically the biggest display of street art in the UK. Hugely talented street artists flock from all around the world in order to beautify otherwise plain buildings, transforming the street into the place to be with its arty displays and musical interludes.  

Overall, it was a pretty lovely way to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon! Its turned the area into such a creative space and I think that can only be encouraged! If you'd like to read up on the event, you can do so right here. What's your view on street art - beautiful or unsightly?! If you'd like to see more posts on my local surroundings, do let me know! I'm off to run a few errands with the Little Cub ♥

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What Bee Did: The One Where Georgia and Claire Came To Stay

Hello everyone! Apologies for doing a disappearing act - had one or two things to sort out but I'm getting there. Onwards and upwards! After pining for my two best university buddies, Claire and Georgia, I decided that it was high time that I invited them up for a few days to experience the tedium of my town high life and glamour that my life regularly involves....Naturally, they willingly oblidged and journeyed up the motorway from their distant lands to come and experience the delights of three days in Somerset, the county of Gods.

Georgia was lucky enough to be the first to arrive which meant embracing my Father's knack for being the embarassing parent. Once he'd calmed down a little (excited Dad's are a bit like golden labradors, am I right?!), we headed off to Cheddar Gorge - the native home of Cheddar cheese. Rammed with toursists and smothered in that weird hot drizzle you get when the weather can't decide what it is doing, we took solace in a pub and attempted to get through our pints of soft drinks over strange conversations. Little rant here: Why do pubs do pints of soft drinks?! I ended up trying to down a pint of lemonade and lime like a woman possessed! Already a little knackered, we headed back to mine and my Grandma's abode where we were greeted by Claire having a cuppa with my Mamabear. A good old natter, an indian takeaway and the Olympics closing ceremony ensued before we were off to the land of nod. 

Day two: our mission, if we chose to accept it, was venturing to Bristol's 'Cabot Circus' without passing out, imploding and/or dying.  If you've ever shopped there before, I'm sure you understand just how much it feels like you're shopping in quick sand and if you haven't, you basically manage about two shops in double the amount of hours and wonder where the hell the time went and why you've impulsively bought so many things despite the limited amount of shops you've been in! Phew! Thankfully we had Nando's to keep us going. More than a bit tired, we headed back to my hometown so that I could introduce the ladies to the ever popular cat, Charles. After a serious bit of cooing on my behalf, we decided to get down to business and commence FAJITA NIGHT! With very full bellies and very achey feet we settled down to a girly movie after tidying the house from tip to toe. 

Tuesday consisted of a chilled out day up the seafront in order for us to recover from the craziness of the day before. We headed to the trusty (read: cheap) local Spoons for some food before steadily walking to another pub for drinks with my best friend. Before we knew it, it was time to say goodbye to an awesome few days. I know they will both be reading so I would just like to say: I love you two! I hope you've enjoyed this post! I'll rustle up a little post on my recent purchases from my Bristol trip as soon as possible as I am rather fond of them! What's your ideal girly few days like? I'm off to hide away in my duvet fort for a couple of hours. What are you guys up to today? ♥

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What Bee Did: When Bee Went to Scotland PART TWO

1. Tala Dam 2. My nephew, Cammy, showing us his playpark in the garden 3. Yummy seafood pizza! I don't really get squid but it was lovely all the same 4. My Aunt's pink Hunters that I was allowed to borrow to run around in 5. Luke being handsome 6. Grey Mare's Tail - beautiful but damn I hate heights 7. Dusk in the garden 8. Daybreak from the window 9. Holding hands with the sweetest girl in the world aka my niece, Maisie 10. White picket gate onto the country lanes 11. PUDDING! Oh my lord, this was mazing 12. Me looking incredibly creepy in a very rainy Edinburgh. Apologies! 13. Lizzie being beautiful 14. The view from the swing in the garden. Absolutely stunning. 15. Luke and Cammy doing some red indian dancing at Saint Mary's Loch 16. Luke embracing the view 17. Flutterby 18. Us being stunning....just stunning!

The eagle eyed readers amongst you will see that this is part two of my Scottish photo diaries; 

if you'd like to read part one first, shimmy your way over here! 

Hello everyone! As promised, here's part two of my Scotland photo diaries. We wisely spent our time there taking in the breathtaking views, embracing time with the family, celebrating my niece's fifth birthday, eating an array of amazing food, kicking Scrabble's bottom and browsing the best bookshop on earth. Thanks for all your amazing comments on part one, Luke and I are rather humbled!

That's it for my posts on this trip to the Borders. I hope you've enjoyed viewing the photographs but if you really want to appreciate the beauty you need to take a trip yourself! What's the best trip you've ever been on? Where are you planning to go next? Let me know in the comments as I'm a little bit of a nosey bugger! I'm currently away, in Scotland again, but I'll be back soon. (We drove....in the car....an 8hr+ journey with three regular travel sickness sufferers....!). If you'd like to leave me ideas for posts in the comments that'd be lovely as life has frazzled my brain lately and I'd like to know what you guys wish to see. Keep smiling ♥

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