Eleven things I learnt in my first week at University

I am very pleased to say I have survived my first week at University! I am yet to catch fresher's flu, yet to give myself food poisoning and yet to set the kitchen on fire...I'm pretty good right now. There are some things however, I have learnt in my first week at Uni that I either just didn't think of or knew but took no notice of...here they are!

Happy Birthday Headlined By Hannah

It's been a year! Wowzers! Headlined by Hannah, my little blog, my tiny piece of the internet is a whole year old! I can't believe how fast this year has gone, how well this blog has done, and how happy it has made me!!!! Prepare for a very exclamation mark heavy, and grammar police treasure of a post....!!!!!

September Scrapbooking: Tips for scrapbooking from a beginner

I've recently started scrapbooking and I've already started to pick up a few bits of knowledge I wish I'd known sooner so I thought I'd share them with you today. Some of them may seem obvious, even though I knew I shouldn't buy out Hobbycraft I didn't listen to myself, so I thought I'd share a few things with you today!

What to do on a Gap Year when you don't travel!

My gap year was very enforced. Ask any of my friends and they'll tell you how I was so against the idea of taking a year out - despite knowing deep down I wouldn't be able to cope with it. When the realisation hit that I was not going to be starting University for another year, I sat around twiddling my thumbs for how I was going to pass the time. From the girl who never travelled on her Gap Year...here is my advice for what to do on a Gap Year when you don't go travelling.

My 100 Things | An Update: Part 2

On Tuesday I gave you part one of My 100 Things Update, I promised part two would follow today and here it is! It features a whole variety of achievements and fails that complete my 100 things list! Enjoy!

#37 Eat in a dark restaurant

I've said before how I was told this existed but couldn't find one and I've spent the whole year trying to track one down but haven't been able to....for the failure of this one I blame miscommunication.

#38 Build a fort out of sheets

This was one for a throwback to my childhood - I haven't had chance to do it though.

#39 Drink no coffee for one month

I haven't done this. I did it once a few years ago and really struggled with it and I felt like I've kept putting it off all year because I know how hard it was last time. However, I have cut my intake down, I try to limit myself to three cups a day, and I have increased my water intake to rehydrate me after the dehydrating coffee.

#42 Write a letter to my future self

This is something I've done but something I don't want to post. I feel like in a few years time, after my degree, it's something I'll be able to look back on, and if this blog it still going I might post it then.

#46 Travel the country visiting friends at their Uni's

I've been all over the place. Sheffield, Oxford, Lancaster....thanks to all my lovely friends for having me and showing me around some very pretty places.

#47 Do some volunteering

I haven't volunteered in the usual sense of the word, I haven't helped out of groups or events. However, I have started to tell my story of being a young stroke survivor for the Stroke Association to use as a positive thing. Last week I spoke at a Royal Mail event to spur their employees on to raise money for the Stroke Association.

#48 Learn to Knit

I'm wanting to make a baby's cardigan, however I am currently only seeing a misshapen square with a few unintentional holes in it. Learning to knit is much harder than I thought it would be.

#50 Go to a designer outlet, and buy something designer

I bought a Kath Kidston bag and oven mitt (planning for uni back in October last year) and bought my friend an oven glove as well (packing her off for uni also!) - could have been something ''more'' designer but that would have come with a higher price tag!

#52 Get an Autograph

FAIL

#53 Write my name with sparklers

I missed the bonfire night boat for buying sparklers and you just can't get hold of them at any other time

#59 Write a letter to Pre-Stroke Hannah

This has been much harder than I ever thought it would be. I just don't know what to say, I wanted it to give warning, but a stroke comes without warning, and it just seems kind of wrong...I've got many drafts for this one, but nothing seems right. Why is it so hard?

#61 Be on the Radio

A few days before my run I talked to BBC radio York about it all and fundraising and all what the stroke association had done for me. It was an incredible experience and even though I was very, very nervous I was told it didn't come across. I'm glad I got the opportunity to do this

#62 See a Theatre Show

I headed to London a couple of weeks ago with a few friends and we saw The Commitments. It was really good actually, we got some £10 tickets on Lastminute.com and although we were very high up, it was still a really good show. The first half was much slower than the second, but they were incredible singers and the music and storyline was great.

 

I have loved all these little challenges throughout the year. They've given me the push to do more when I'm not at work than sit on the sofa and watch Jeremy Kyle. I'm a couple of days into university now and I'm looking forward to the new challenges that will come up. See you on Tuesday when I talk about what to do on a gap year...when you don't travel (and I don't just list these 100 things haha!)

 

My 100 Things | An Update: Part 1

 

Over the past year I've been blogging all about all sorts of things. In amongst the beauty posts, cake recipes, and rambles about what I've been wearing, I've been posting all about the challenges I set myself at the beginning of my gap year. Well today I'm moving into Uni, and this marks the end of my gap year. My intention has always been that I would only try to complete those challenges during my time out - so here is a post to update you on all that has gone on.

My 100 Things | #63 Talk in front of a large group of people

This time last week I was on a train heading to London. I was so nervous I was feeling sick, I was shaking, I was in a cold sweat, and no I wasn't heading to a hospital appointment, I was going to talk to a large group of people at the Royal Mail New Graduate event, on behalf of the Stroke Association.

My 100 Things | #2 Sit in the Audience of a TV Show

The order in which things are on my list do not represent anything except the order in which they popped into my mind. Considering this is number two it suggests it's something I thought of pretty soon after I decided to put my list together, and that's because it's something I've wanted to do for a very long time but never had the chance, with being in college all day and living in the middle of nowhere we've never had the time or easily been able to get somewhere....but this year I had a lot of time on my hand's!

The Dreamy Naked 2 Palette

Owning an Urban Decay Naked Palette is something I've lusted after for a pretty long time. I've never felt like I could justify spending that much amount of money on a palette when a) I already own a countless number and b) the money could come in very useful elsewhere! But my friends know me just too well, and as a little present for making it a year past my stroke and getting ready for uni, they bought me the Naked 2 Palette! It was such a lovely thing and something I totally did not expect. But has the palette I placed such high hopes on lived up to my expectations?

My Week in Outfits #2

I last did a 'what I've worn this week' type post back in June (I seriously thought it was a couple of weeks ago, but time flies!), so I thought considering I've had a pretty busy week, I'd take pictures of everything I've worn each day and share them with you today! Hope you enjoy!

The College Favourite Malteser Cake Recipe

During our A-Levels myself and my friends became fans of visiting the Starbucks café in college. The malteser cake they sold became a firm favourite. I've since to got a recipe and it gives me something pretty close to the real deal that college sold us. Here is the recipe for the cake that brightened up those stressful days.

My 100 Things | #36 Climb the Covent Garden Tube Steps

 

I was going to post my August Favourites today, but as I sat down to write them, I realised just how fast August had gone by, and just how little I'd took note of things I'd been loving. So instead I decided to write about something I ticked of my 100 things list just a few days ago at the very end of August! Here is why I wanted to climb the Covent Garden Tube steps and what happened!

My 100 Things | #13 Go to a Theme Park

I went away for the weekend with my girlfriends last week, and on the Saturday we visited Blackpool Pleasure Beach for the day. With the weather in Blackpool being tropical, it was never going to rain, it was never going to pour, it was never going to make us so drenched we were wetter than we would have been in the shower - that would just never happen! Here is what happened!