Musings of a Perfectionist

Good morning! Quick question: is everyone else embracing the cooler weather?? I'm loving it- in fact, when it first rained, we all danced outside (and our neighbours literally started cheering). Anyway, I haven't written anything for ages  (mostly because I don't go outside and nothing interesting ever happens to me) and I'm procrastinating from editing my novel (oops). What day is it today? 30th July means the birthday of one of my best friends! Shout out to her- have a great day! Today is also International Friendship Day, and National Cheesecake Day in the USA. To be honest, as much as I love cheesecake, I feel that International Friendship Day is ever so slightly more important. It must be nice to have your birthday on Friendship Day. I have National Mason Jar Day, National Mousse Day, and National Meth Awareness Day (why is this even a thing). Of course, it is also St. Andrew's Day, but whatever. Yesterday was Global Tiger Day, raising awareness for ...

Hi there, here's some history for you (and some promotion for my book that hasn't been published yet). I've been editing/writing my novel (it's now, officially, 50,000 words long and counting!) and I've just rewritten a scene in which Thomas Cromwell is executed (sorry, spoilers). Thomas Cromwell, for those of you who don't know, was Henry VIII's loyal adviser and 'sidekick' for a long time, credited with the downfall of Anne Boleyn. He was a brilliant and intelligent man and politician, able to navigate the many twists and turns of court life, but was eventually executed on the King's orders. Also for those of you who don't know, my novel is about Elizabeth Seymour, who married Gregory Cromwell- the only son of Thomas Cromwell. In this scene, both Elizabeth and Gregory are at the execution of Thomas Cromwell, and I must admit that it is one of the heartbreaking scenes that I have ever written. Cromwell was an amazing man, defini...

Happy Monday everyone! I hope that your weekend was wonderful, and you didn't burn too much (I burnt my legs and they hurt a lot ). We visited my mum's family this weekend. My parents stayed with my aunt and my uncle, and we (my sisters and I) stayed with my cousin and her boyfriend in their new house (very exciting!). We watched ' The Greatest Showman ' (amazing) and we also watched ' A Street Cat Named Bob ', as per the title (the cat, Bob, is ginger and the cutest little thing ever). This film was stunning. It's so adorable, and perfectly encases what being a cat owner is like, while also taking on big issues such as addiction and homelessness. And what's more, it is based on a true story! Go and watch it, I promise you that it will be amazing. I also went swimming in the sea on Saturday. Most of my mum's family lives by the sea, and so we went down at high tide and swam for a bit (and my sister choked and splashed because she can't swim...

Basically, I was recently doing work experience (as you may know) and I came across the term 'rainbow baby'. A rainbow baby is a baby that is born following a miscarriage, stillbirth, neonatal death or infant loss. They are known as rainbow babies because, in nature, a rainbow follows a storm and traditionally is a symbol of peace and hope. There is an incredibly sad video that I watched during work experience, and I had to go to the toilets to make sure that it wasn't too obvious that I was crying. The link is  here . In researching further, I also discovered the term 'sunshine baby'. This refers to a baby who is born before early loss of the next child. Just as a rainbow represents the hope after the storm, the sunshine represents the calm before the storm. And, possibly the saddest term, a child who dies is often referred to as an 'angel baby'.  Even if you don't believe in any form of Heaven, I feel that this term offers some form of comfort ...

Good afternoon everyone (at least, it's afternoon as I'm writing this)! I hope that your week (how long was it since I last posted something?) was wonderful and that you didn't burn. Burning is a pretty popular topic right now, what with the sun shining and all of us dying from the heat. I have actually managed to avoid burning too much recently, although my arms are slightly red (my legs are still as pale as ever, sadly). Those of you who don't live in a country that is as hot as it is here (29  °C), it is really  hot. Here in England, we don't often have to complain about it being hot, as per our stereotype of it always raining. But, at the moment, it is so incredibly hot that we all just want it to rain (at least I do- our grass is not green and lovely anymore). Anyway, today at our Church, we had a barbecue. Our Youth Group brought salads and prepared the bread rolls and made a 'Thank You' sign (and that's pretty much all we did for about an ho...

It's always sad when your childhood dies, isn't it? Yesterday, we had our biannual (I think that's the word anyway) festival for our village. Last time, I stayed for the whole day: participating in the parade as a Guide, eating burgers and ice cream, listening to the music, and finally watching the fireworks. This year, however, I participated in the parade (unwillingly, trust me) then went home. Despite there being something so wonderful about the family feel of a village collecting together to listen to some good music in the dark (maybe it's something to do with history and the thought of having to rely on your neighbours), I didn't want to be there for long in the heat and the noise (and I also saw loads of people that I know from school- embarrassing!☺️). So I was pretty boring and watched the Tour de France with my dad (as we do every year- those of you who also watched it, what the hell happened?? All the good riders were involved in crashes IN THE FIRST ...

Hey everyone, I'm pretty that I haven't written anything for so long, but I spent the weekend editing/writing my novel, and I'm at work experience now. Yay. Nah, it's pretty cool really (I'm allowed to show my ankles!). And I may be writing this to procrastinate, but whatever. I'm not being paid and it can just be part of my lunch break. But the title: basically, I miss school (weird, I know) and my friends and I even miss my sisters calling me random names (Sid the Sloth, if you can remember one of my previous posts). So yeah. Anyway. I've been listening to music today while working (another good thing about work- as well as being allowed to go to the toilet when I want, coffee and biscuits) and I'm going to talk about something (vaguely) poetical. Remember those songs, the ones that give you chills as the lyrics weave their magic in your ears and you can't help but listen to it properly? Those bittersweet songs, the ones tha...