MUSICAL DOLL; Little Mix Concert

Tell me could you fall for a woman like me?

It's midnight and I've just got home from the Little Mix concert which was fabulous!  I've had the tickets since last December and I've been looking forward to it for all that time.  It's the first big arena tour I've attended since my college friend Kelly was killed at the Manchester bombing, so I've had her on my mind a lot tonight. But I know that, were she still here, she absolutely would have been at the show this evening!  I'm glad I've got over the hurdle of going to an arena show though, because I do love a good pop-princess concert.

Little Mix were great.  They opened with one of my favorite songs Salute and it was just one hit after another from then on.  Yes, they did sing live and yes they can sing, though Perrie and Jade's vocals were the best in my opinion. I especially liked Perrie's live performance - she can really hit and hold those big notes. Her voice is spectacular and she sounds just like she does on the albums. 

My favourite part was the ballad set.  The girls were high up on a floating stage that swung out over the crowd.  They were wearing the dreamiest gowns - long, diaphanous and glittering with diamante gems all over.  They sang Secret Love Song, which is another of my favorites and they held the audience spellbound.  It was such a beautiful set.  I liked that part of the show the best.

If Perrie and Jade were the classic songbird's, then Jesy was the sex goddess!  Although she says she struggles with how people perceive her and the cruel comments she receives calling her fat, her confidence on stage is second to none. Her cups runneth over and she's not afraid to flaunt them!  She owns her curves and dances like a demon to show them off, while Leigh-Anne has all the sass and attitude of a lass who knows she will always be a big achiever, no matter what she chooses to do in life.  Collectively their overall message was one of female empowerment and courage to be yourself, regardless of what anyone else says or thinks about you.  It's a good message for the younger girls who had flocked to see the group in glitter-faced droves!  

When it came to Shout Out To My Ex the whole arena went mad, so I guess everyone can relate to that track.  We all have the ex who broke our heart - and everyone in the venue was singing this anthem at the top of their lungs.  It was great energy and the place was buzzing with it.  They ended the concert with another of my favourite songs, Touch and again the crowd went a bit crazy.  It's such an iconic song of theirs and clearly a fan favourite.  

I got a few souvenirs from the show including a program, a Little Mix teddy bear that I just couldn't resist and a bag that has the lyric slogan "I was born without a zip on my mouth" - yep, that's me!  It was a really good night and well worth waiting for.  I had a great time and now that's another band ticked off my to-see list. There are still a couple of artists I'd really love to see, including Taylor and Ariana - and of course I will always go and see Kylie whenever she tours my home town.  But for now, I've had my pop diva fix and my ears are still ringing with it, so I'm going to snuggle into bed, sip a warm strawberry milk with squirty cream and marshmallows and read my Little Mix program until I feel sleepy.  

Until next time, I'll leave you with no more sad songs... 

...Cos tonight I'm gonna get my mind off it, don't care that someone's got his hands all over my body...

xoxo

BOOK NOOK; The Ghost by Monica McCarty

"How could anyone do that to a young girl?  His heart broke for the loss of innocence. Not her virginity - he didn't give a shite about that - but at what must have been a cruel awakening to the ugly side of men..."

I am back into my Scottish romances once more and having read The Rogue on holiday in Tarbet (and soon finding myself in a real life version of a Highland Guard novel with a gorgeous Viking of my own!) I have just finished reading The Ghost which is Monica McCarty's final book in the Highland Guard series and one of my favourites.  I have enjoyed them all, but there are five which really stand out for me and have captured my full attention - The Hawk,  The Viper,  The Recruit,  The Arrow and now The Ghost.

In this final installment we catch up with Dragon, Sir Alexander Seton who turned his back on the Guard and the Bruce because he didn't like their tactics.  He is a chivalrous knight and he only wants to fight a war that abides by his knightly code of honour.  He thinks he has a better chance at ending the war if he can persuade the English to negotiate, but once fighting on the English side he questions his own judgment.  He hates his betrayal of his friends and broods about it; even more so when he discovers that the English fight just as dirty as the Scots.  He loses his young idealistic notions of what war should be in the face of what it actually is -  a grey area, where there are no heroes, only soldiers doing what has to be done and doing their best to survive and return to their loved ones in the process.  It is a rude awakening for a young man, forced to grow up and let go of his boyish dreams of soldiering. 

To make matters worse he is drawn to Lady Joan, daughter of the infamous Bella McDuff, who has a reputation for being friendly with the English soldiers.  Little does he know that she is in fact a member of the Highland Guard - the very team he recently turned his back on - and one of their most successful spies.  When he is charged by the English to find the Scots spy in their midst, he begins to suspect that his lady love might not be telling him everything and he is right!  Lady Joan has her own dark secrets to keep - secrets she fears will get in the way of this new blossoming romance she never expected. 

As the story moves forward, both Joan and Alex have their own demons of the past to face and conquer - but will the fact that they are on opposing sides alter their love for one another?  And will Alex ever forgive himself for leaving the brotherhood of the Guard behind and betraying his friends?  A reckoning has to be paid and he knows he will meet his former friends again, probably on the battlefield - and which side will he choose then?

This novel explores what honour truly means.  It separates the idealistic view of the chivalric code and what it is to be a soldier in the heat of battle.  It highlights why there must be a moral code to warfare, but also how blurred that line becomes on the battlefield.  Mistakes can cost dearly and loss of control can lead to loss of lives.   

The Ghost brings us right into the heart of Bannockburn and beyond, where McCarty effortlessly weaves together history and legend, fact and fiction in her own inimitable style.  In this book we are witnessing the Bruce's greatest victory, but in McCarty's vivid fictional world where he is surrounded by his faithful members of the Highland Guard, right there on the famous battle-site. 

It's a wonderful conclusion to a fantastic series and the author has done true justice to Bannockburn's battle history, Bruce's legendary scrap with de Bohun and the diplomatic aftermath of the Declaration of Arbroath.  It doesn't mention the Bruce's dying wish to send his heart on Crusade, which was carried out and is why his heart and body are buried at separate locations in Scotland, but it's still amazing and a very satisfying conclusion, not just to the novel, but to the series as a whole.  

If you love Scottish history and Celtic romance as I do, then you will probably enjoy all the Highland Guard books.  I have been tucked up in bed early every night this week, with The Ghost and a box of Loch Lomond shortbread that I bought in Luss, bringing a very sweet, enjoyable end to a busy day!  Enjoy. 

ONCE UPON A DREAM; Loch Lomond Bliss!

I'm just back from my break in Tarbet, Loch Lomond and it was wonderful!  Although it rained buckets everyday, the weather did nothing to dampen my spirits and I would rather be in Scotland in the rain than in my home town in any weather.  Tarbet is a very remote place, which I loved - just the hotel on the Lochside and mountains all around, so no mobile signal at all and nothing else there - no shops or cafes or anything like that - just loch and mountains and the hotel.  I saw the magnificent Ben Lomond, which I prefer to Ben Nevis to be honest, because Ben Lomond seemed to have more of a pointy top, which is how I always imagine mountains to be - pointy at the summit. Ben Nevis is more of a dome. 

The Scotch mist was incredible this year - swirling around constantly, hiding the mountain summits one minute and then revealing them the next.  It was like watching a dance of the weather gods and it was very tranquil and relaxing.

I went to some pretty places; Inverary and Luss again, then Helensburgh which I'd never been to before and it was a lovely little coastal town. I liked it a lot.  I also spent a day in Glasgow.  It was nice enough, but not my favorite place in Scotland.  They have far too many pedestrian crossings and it takes so long to get anywhere because you're constantly having to wait on the little green man or get killed by all the traffic!  I got annoyed with it after a bit.  But I did like Glasgow Green and the terracotta fountain and the museum on the River Clyde that had lots of old carriages and buses from the days of horse-drawn transport.   

The Clyde is very pretty, though it has a haunted feel - you can still see the bones of old industry and the ship yards where the ships used to be tied up and it reminded me of home and how the loss of the steel industry has changed the city and forced it to become a new version of itself.  Something similar seems to have taken place in Glasgow too. I did like the Squinty Bridge - such a cool name for it.  Glasgow feels like a capital city, even though it's not. But I prefer something more rural.

The highlights of the trip took place right in Tarbet itself.  I went on a fabulous boat ride, cruising along on Loch Lomond on a boat called Lomond Princess.  We went past the ruins of an old croft house that legend states is where Rob Roy and his wife Mary lived - I like to believe that's true.  It's a wonderful place to live and suits the legend of Rob Roy perfectly.  Again the weather wasn't great, so I couldn't sit on the top deck like I usually do on boats - I like to feel the wind on my face.  Instead I sat in the boat out of the rain, with a yummy hot chocolate the captain made for me.  It was a lovely trip and another thing that I can cross off my bucket list - sailing on Loch Lomond. 

The second highlight was all the lovely people I met there, especially the barman in the hotel - he was great fun.  He looked just like a Viking - 6ft4 tall with long blonde hair and green eyes.  He's the cocktail bar tender and he can do all the Tom Cruise stuff - I was very impressed by him, as I could never manage to do any of that - any juggling I did behind the bar was always unintentional and ended up in broken glass!  He was very handsome and charming and I had such fun being with him, chatting in the lounge after his shift was over and bonding over the shared experience of being bar staff.   For the first time ever, I sat waiting for bar staff to finish shift so our date could begin!  It always used to be my ex-finance waiting for me. This time I was the one waiting for the Viking to cash up etc.  

I'd been very stressed out when I got to Loch Lomond and he helped me to relax, enjoy the moment and worry less.  He just made me feel more comfortable in my own skin and unapologetic for my place in life. I'd been feeling invisible but he saw me and made a beeline straight for me, determined to get my attention!  I had been quite sad before, but he made me happy again.  We made each other happy and had a good laugh, drinking gin and trying to speak different languages which was hilarious as languages are not my strong point. I butchered French, Italian, Gallic and Hungarian all in one night. I don't expect his fabulous gin cocktails and the red wine helped my language skills at all.  

He's a great guy and I feel lucky to have met him and to have got to know him a bit.   It's always nice when you meet a perfect stranger and just click with them.  It feels like Fate has thrown you together for a reason - in this case so that we could drink gin and compare bar-tender stories into the wee small hours.  We didn't get much sleep - bar staff work unsociable hours, which means that their own social lives don't start until midnight at the earliest, so it was pretty late on when I got to bed, but worth every moment of sleep deprivation for the fun we had. Good thing I'm a night owl. He was quite a souvenir. 

I'd like to go back to Tarbet again hopefully but next year I'm off to Dornoch and the Orkneys. Maybe I'll try to squeeze Tarbet in again before then.  All in all, I just had the best time. After all, who wouldn't enjoy a bit of Viking romance (and language lessons) amid the beauty of Loch Lomond?

There are those people who find their bliss jetting around the world and taking off to the other side of the globe lock, stock and barrel - well good for them. As for me, I'm always going to find my bliss in the Highlands and I'll take the romance of Scotland over the jet-setter thing, any day of the week.  There's no competition, you just can't beat it. 

The best things always happen to me in Scotland - he's one of them
and now every time I drink gin - I'm going to smile and think of him! Bottoms up - or I should say - Slainte! 

xxx

ONCE UPON A DREAM; Matriculation

You can find me in the library

And so begins a whole new chapter...

September brings about the new academic year and the beginning of the autumn term is now under way.  Last week I attended my main matriculation event and I am now enrolled to start studying once more.  I met all of the other students on my course and they seem enthusiastic enough.  There are about a dozen of us in all, so it is a small group which means that we should get to know one another quite quickly.  I much prefer smaller groups anyway. 

We have had the induction day, where all the boring stuff is gone through such as health and safety, student and faculty obligations etc.  Next week the real work begins with the start of our formal lectures.  Although we will do lots of work with faculty tutors, each week we have a Masterclass with professional seminars from people who work in the industry affiliated with our course. 

I am really looking forward to these Masterclasses because they take place in the evenings, right after our last lecture of the day and although most will be held in the beautiful lecture theater on campus, some are taking place at key events held in the city, so they are more social.  It's going to be a lot of fun and already there are some very interesting people engaged to speak and present Masterclasses to us, so it's a great opportunity to learn more about what they do and the profession in general. 

I am finding my way around campus quite well.  The rows of lifts remind me of the Ministry of Magic in the Harry Potter books and our campus colours are burgundy and white, which is almost Gryffindor!  The campus shop opens next week I think, so that we can purchase our scarves, clothes, stationery and teddy bears, all in campus colours and bearing the logo.  I do like shopping, so it will be fun to see what they have on offer. 

Our course has a common room too, where we can meet up before class or sit in comfy chairs to get some reading done between lectures, if we want to.  There is a lovely sense of community and they seem to try and nurture an immediate sense of belonging and home from home, which is vital for overseas students to settle in - not that there are any foreign students on my course.  

I just love having a common room to go to though as it reminds me of the old Malory Towers and St Clair's books I loved reading as a child.  It gives me a feeling of nostalgia and wish-fulfillment  because I always wished that my school had a common room, but it didn't and neither did college - so I finally get a common room to curl up in with a cup of tea on rainy days.   That is one of my university goals achieved already!

I haven't had a chance to visit the library yet, but I did learn that there are six floors of books(!) and learning materials, plus access to vintage newspapers and periodicals etc.  So if I wanted to research beauty tips from women's magazines in the Victorian era, I can. I'm almost afraid to go in for fear that I will never come out again.  It sounds like heaven.  And not only is the library open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including Christmas - but you can take out 25 books and keep them for a whole year.  How marvelous is that? 

I am excited to get started with the course work.  The last counselling course I did was Level 4.  The Masters course I am on now is Level 7 - so I have skipped two full levels, which makes me a little nervous, but I wouldn't have applied if I didn't think I was up to it and I do like to stretch myself because that's how you accomplish things and achievement breeds confidence in general, so its good for you.   Mostly I'm looking forward to getting to know the other students and exploring different viewpoints etc.  I'm sure I won't agree with everyone all the time, but healthy, respectful debate keeps life interesting and its a great way to learn. 

As with most academic courses there are lots of campus groups and societies that you can join and take part in.  I've never really been much of a 'joiner' but when I saw that there is a Poetry Society I just had to register my interest.  I love poems and poets so a Poetry Society is right up my street.  It makes me think of the Bloomsbury Group or Tolkien's Inklings, so it is something that I want to be a part of.  It suits my bookish personality to a tee and I'm sure my own poetry will be enhanced by regular Poetry Society meetings, so it will be good for my writing. 

In the meantime there is already a ton of reading to do and I have a stack of books in my study from the course reading list, so I'm going to make myself a nice gingerbread latte and dive into the first book on the list.  All in all, it looks like it is going to be an interesting couple of years and I am glad that I decided to push myself and apply for another course of study.  I plan to enjoy myself and make the most of it! Until next time...

Blessed Be

Marie x

MUSICAL DOLL; Beautiful

After all this time...

One tears falls, tension cracks the walls and relief comes -

Kiss me once and you will watch me fall...

xxx

MUSICAL DOLL; Who Wants To Live Forever?

This is a beautiful gothic rendition - very vampiric.

The dark season is calling seductively once more...

 Bite me...

xxx

ONCE UPON A DREAM; Cosy Seasonal Shopping

It's the 1st of September and to me that means it's the start of autumn!  While today is still bright and sunny, the weather is set to change and become much colder in the next few days and that makes me so happy.   

I love the dark season and I have a few little traditions of my own. I always book my holiday for the following year in autumn and this year is no exception.  I've already booked a trip to the Orkney Isles for next year and I am so much looking forward to that.  John O'Groats is the furthest north I've ever been so it will be wonderful to visit the Northern Isles.  I can't wait and I get excited whenever I think about it.

I also like to go shopping each September for a few treats to cosy up my home ready for the colder months - candles, oils and bath products are a must.  I like warm scents such as cinnamon, gingerbread and vanilla.  I also like to buy something for the house that looks autumnal or wintry, but which can be used all year round.

Over the years I have collected a lovely set of oak leaf man ornaments - mirrors, candle and tealight holders, dishes and trinket boxes etc.  They bring the spirit of the autumn woods to my home all the year.  I like to have things around me that remind me of the dark season, even at the height of summer.  There might be a heatwave going on, but once indoors I am surrounded by autumn and winter, my favourite seasons. 

A couple of years ago I bought a few owl shaped plates, mugs and teapot and I always find myself reaching for them come August, when I am sick of the sun and ready for teatime on rainy days.  

I am a pluviophile which means that I take great comfort and joy in rainy days and 'dismal' weather.  I love the cosyness of it; of walking in the rain with a bright umbrella and then coming home to a cosy, warm house, a cup of tea and a good book.  

This year I have added to my woodland crockery collection, buying a gorgeous fox shaped chopping board that looks fantastic in my kitchen.  He is a joy to see each day and always makes me smile. I wish I'd got the set of tea-towels to match, but I might go back and pick them up another day. 

I also got something that has been on my wish-list for a while.  A few years ago as I was watching Once Upon A Time, I noticed a pumpkin shaped cookie jar in Snow's kitchen.  I looked everywhere but couldn't find one and I had given up on it as just one of those American things that never made it to the UK.   But now I have one!  A burnt orange ceramic pumpkin oven dish and lid that will make a fab sweetie jar to keep treats in.  Its from the same range as the fox (pictured above) and was quite inexpensive.    I love it when that happens; when you've wanted something for years and it suddenly lands in your lap right when you've given up on it.  It's manifestation as its best.   

So now my kitchen at least is ready for the dark season and looking very pretty, cute and autumnal.   Shopping is always a fun way to mark the turn in the seasons and companies these days are tapped into the lure of Instagram, producing lovely items that seem to be made for those of us who like to buy pretty as well as practical.  Even the cheaper supermarkets are getting in on the act, so a few seasonal treats and trifles needn't break the bank. 

But for the moment I'm going to make a cup of chai tea in my owl mug, fill the pumpkin with yummy treats and settle down to write a seasonal column for Samhain.  My October column is already in, but we decided I'd write a bit extra for the witchy month of the year, so that's what I'm off to do now. My writing life calls and there's no rest for the Wiccan. Enjoy squirreling away a few autumn treats for yourself this season.  

Blessed Be

Marie x