Go, Set A Watchman

Hello wonderful people!

So, I know it's not a Friday. And I know I'm not scheduled to post. But I just had to blog about this exciting news!

One of my all time favourite books is To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I adore this book (and the film) and I think its messages are ones that will stay with me for life. I think this book will stay with me for life.

Harper Lee has never written another book after To Kill A Mockingbird.

UNTIL NOW!!!!!

She has just announced that on July 14th, her second book will be published!!!! 'Go, Set A Watchman' is a sequel, of sorts, to TKAM, and tells the story of a grown up Scout. Harper Lee originally wrote this sequel from the POV of grown up Scout, with flashbacks. But her publisher said she preferred the flashbacks and so Lee wrote a book entirely about Scout's childhood - et voila, To Kill A Mockingbird. But today/recently, a friend of Harper Lee found the original script and it is now being published!

I'M SO EXCITED YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND OH MY GOOOOSSSHHHHH.

*fangirl moment over* (kinda)

Anyway, that's all for now. I just wanted to share that EXCTING news with you.

I hope you all have a lovely week. Love you!

Bethan
xxxxxx

"For thus the Lord said to me; "God, set a watchman; let him announce what he sees.""

Isiah 21

The Theory of Everything, Classical Music & A Catchup

Hello, my dear friends

I HAVE FINALLY FINISHED MY MOCK EXAMS! Well thank goodness they're over! I was stressing so much - my back is hurting from being hunched over books for 2 weeks... - and I can already feel a cold coming on. You know teachers always say they're never ill for the whole of term, but as soon as term ends and they relax, they're ill in bed for the holidays? Same thing applies to me.

To celebrate the end of exams, I went to the cinema to see the Theory of Everything, which as you all probably know, is based on the life of Stephen Hawking. It was absolutely amazing and had me very emotional at several points. Eddie Redmayne has been nominated for an Oscar, as has Felicity Jones, who plays Jane Hawking. I would love both of them to win, but I am praying Steve Carell wins for Foxcatcher. I have yet to see the film - I think I'm seeing it this weekend, as I now have so much free time! :) - but I adore Steve Carell as Michael Scott in the US Office and just think he's the nicest man in Hollywood.

I've recently - since around September - been loving classical music. I've found it beautiful since I was around 8, but I've only really starting listening to it last year. I listen to it while I'm working, and am listening to Mozart's Requiem as I write this. I find it so relaxing and calming, and some of the pieces are so beautiful, elegant and almost haunting. Gah, I just adore it. I feel like such a nerd saying I love classical music, but I do just love it.

How have you all been? I hope your 2015 has started off well. It's come to my attention that my blog is not as popular as it once was, which is upsetting but understandable. I have been gone for so long, all your lovely faces have probably moved on and forgotten about me. I'm hoping that as I post more, you guys will notice I'm back and read and enjoy my blog again, but I wouldn't be surprised if you don't remember me! I'm still going to post as normal, and type like I'm having a conversation with someone.

2015 is going to be a good year, I can feel it. There were some rough parts in 2014, and a lot of changes, but all of them were for the better. I am a lot happier with my life now, and am surrounded by a loving family and so many friends that I adore. I have great teachers and so many people supporting me. I know that everything happens for a reason and that in the end, I am better off and happier because of the changes that 2014 threw at me.

I love you all ♥

Bethan
xxxxxx

I finally have a break to write :0

Hello, beautiful people. I finally have a tiny snippet of free time, that isn't filled with work, exams, stressing about exams, cramming in reading time, sleeping or eating. And I decided to blog because I miss this. I miss you all. I miss sitting down on my laptop (not literally on my laptop haha) and writing something for you guys.
I hope you all had an AMAZING Christmas. I got so many books >.< Also.... A MELLARK BAKERY APRON!!!! AS IN PEETA MELLARK FROM THG WHAT I LOVE IT!!!!!
*clears throat* well.

I haven't made any official resolutions, but I've just sort of promised that I'll try to be happier and try to find time to blog. I really really want to keep this blog going, but it's so hard to find time! If any of you have Instagram, follow my bookstagram @fiction.and.tea because it's basically a pocket version of my blog with more photos. :)

I really do miss you all a lot. Gosh, I miss coming home from school and reading all your lovely, supportive comments. I really really hope you're all still interested in reading my blog, because I am going to try and post more often.

This is my plan:
Scrap Creative Thursday/Thursday's Writings and just post every week on Friday. Sometimes it will be writing, sometimes about books, sometimes just a little catch up. But I will try my very hardest to post every Friday, without fail.

I'm thinking, because it's a new year, of getting a new blog design. I just want to start fresh, clean slate, because maybe a new look will make me feel like I'm blogging for the first time. I don't know, I just think a new design will make me feel better and more motivated to blog.

So yeah. Wow. I still love you guys so so so so so much. You are the most wonderful, beautiful people and deserve everything. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and that your new year is off to an amazing start.

Love you ♥

xoxo,
Bethan

A Break.... ?

Hello.

*sneezes from dust*

I am so so so so so so sorry. You don't understand how sorry I am for being away for so long. But I have a reason.

I've just started the GCSE years, and I'm trying to find time to blog but there just isn't any time. I'll come home, exhausted from school (I haven't been sleeping well recently...), immediately jump in to homework, end up finishing at 7 and then all I want to do is read or sleep. I'm just so tired and I have so much work to do. I'd love to say I'd be posting more over the Christmas holidays, but that probably won't happen - I have my mocks in January and I'll be revising and working a lot of the time over Christmas. And when I'm not, I'll be using the spare time to read - I'm really missing reading. I just don't have time to do it anymore, and it's killing me.

So... I think I'm going to take a break. I'm so sorry. I love you all so much. I'll post on Christmas to wish you all a Merry Christmas, and show you the books I got.

I love you.

Happy Birthday!

Hey guys!

So...

1 year ago today, I signed up to blogger, typed in my URL and clicked Create Blog.

Wow. 1 year! So much has happened since then. I've bought a lot more books, obviously (speaking of which, I bought 7 more over the weekend. Book haul soon, me thinks). I have 81 followers, 15207 pageviews and have made some amazing friends along the way.

Thank you, all 81 of you, for believing in me and supporting me while I struggled through writer's block, weeks of no posting, and generally just bad times. I love you all so much, and I wouldn't still be blogging if it weren't for your support.

I love you guys. ♥

I'm back!

*dusts off cobwebs*

Helloooo!!

Goodness, it's been a while hasn't it? Just under a month? Wow.

It is, Bethan Downs, back from the dead. I'm am soooooooooooo sorry for not posting for so long. School and controlled assessments going towards my exams and homework and argh. It's been horrible, but it is half term at last. Well, it's nearly the end of half term, which is sad, but I needed to post. I hope you're all well. :)

As you can see, I have new social media icons over there ------------->
I made them myself, so they're too big and a bit higgledy-piggledy, but you now have a link to my (recently set up, new) Instagram. :) Yay! It's basically like my blog. It has quite a lot of books on there, some fandom-y news occassionally, but it has more of my personal life on there as well - my friends, and birthdays and such. So yeah, if you want to head on over and follow me, that would be great. I only have 80 followers. :(

HAVE YOU GUYS SEEN THE NEW MOCKINGJAY TRAILER. OH MY GOODNESS GOOSEBUMPS AND EXPLOSIONS AND PEETA AND SNOW AND COIN AND 13 AND DEATH AND FIRE AND EXPLOSIONS AND PROPOS AND KATNISS AND GOOSEBUMPS AAHHHHH!!!!

That bit with Peeta. :( :( :( :'(

How have you all been? I'm super tired at the moment - montages of monsters, psychopaths, fires trapping me in my burning house, etc, etc. have decided to play in my mind while I sleep... And because it's half term, I've been at home on my own quite a few times, which has ended several times with me clutching a heavy bookend until my parents come home. My house makes noises... I know, I know, I'm 15, and I thought my nightmares had gone away but recently I've become scared when I'm home alone. I guess because both of my brothers are gone - one at university, another at their new job - so I have less people to make me feel safe. I don't know, maybe I'm just being stupid.

I saw the play version of To Kill A Mockingbird on the weekend and it was absolutely incredible! I'm doing it this year in English, so I decided to go see it with my dad and it was just amazing. Had so much fun as well. :)
I also had my cousin over yesterday for a movie day and went to the Red Hot Buffet today for my friend's birthday party, which was really fun. My stomach hurt from eating too much and laughing too much. :D

What are you guys doing for Halloween? I didn't think I was doing anything, but I'm actually going over my best friend's house and we're going to do spooky makeup on each other, bake cupcakes and decorate them and carve a pumpkin. It's going to be really cool. :)

I accidentally bought more books as well..... Ooops. I bought Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan (signed, oh yeah) and finished it, like, 2 days later. It was absolutely fantastic. Sad about no Percy POV but you can't be picky. I also bought Unravel Me and Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi, the 2nd and 3rd books in the Shatter Me trilogy and The Iron Trial by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare. I'm planning to read the last three soon but I have so many other books to read.... I'll admit, that isn't a terrible problem to have!

Well, this was nice. Catching up, even though it was just me typing talking to you. I'm hoping to be more organised next term and be able to post regularly again. Fingers crossed!

Thank you all for being so patient with me. Love you guys so much. ♥

(Don't forget to follow me on Instagram - @bethan_downs *wink wink*)

UPDATE: I've just started a new book instagram account, as well as my personal, so if you want to see more books, go follow @fiction.and.tea  I've left a new social media link next to the Instagram button. It's a pile of books, and it goes straight to my profile. Ya see it? Okay, cool beans. :)

This isn't even a post, this is just a little note to say I'm not sure when I will next be posting, but I'm hoping it will be soon. Homework and school are drowning me, so when I do have free time, I'm spending it reading because I've already spent so much time staring at a computer screen. I hope I'll be posting next week, but I'll see if I've caught up with homework. It really depends.

I'm so sorry for the lack of posts. I still love you all. ♥

 

Mockingjay: Part 1 Official Trailer Talk

Hey guys!
Oh my goooooooddnnnneeeesssss!!!! MOCKINGJAY TRAILER IS OUT FINALLY!!!!!!

I have goosebumps... I've already watched it.... *counts on fingers....and toes* 14 times. A lot of that was so I could analyse it but... actually, all of it was for funsies. But I was analysing as I watched.

*WARNING: IF YOU HAVE NOT READ MOCKINGJAY OR THE HUNGER GAMES TRILOGY, LEAVE NOW. THERE WILL BE SPOILERS*

~(•-•~)

Okay. So it starts off with a hovercraft flying over the woods with Katniss and the gang (wat) in it. I'm assuming this is taking off straight after Catching Fire, so this hovercraft is going to District 13 or, like the book, is taking Katniss to District 12 (I'm hoping it's this option). During this, Katniss is giving a monologue, or so we assume. It then turns out she's talking to Snow - like Skype. But cooler. Snow says something about "The things we love the most destroy us" ya da ya da. More weird Snow logic.

Then we get our first proper look at DISTRICT 13. And it is AMAZING! Boring and grey and run like a machine, just how I pictured it. We see Katniss going down in a lift and then she's trying out her awesome bow and arrow with Beetee, who is in his wheelchair. We also get our first look at District 13 Effie, pinning the Mockingjay badge on Katniss. I know Effie isn't in District 13 for a lot of Mockingjay, but I think she'll be a great add in, especially with the loss of Philip Seymour Hoffman. He missed some scenes, and I think some of his lines were given to Effie.

We get a look at Gale shooting his gun crossbow thing and blowing up some targets, and then Katniss in her mockingjay outfit with her awesome bow and arrow. There are some people charging through mist or water or something at peacekeepers who are firing guns. Seems like a district riot to me! 

It cuts to a scene in what I assume is the District 13 cafeteria. The TV is one and Peeta is speaking from the Capitol, telling everyone to lay down their weapons. (Peeta why?! *cries*) Haymitch talks to Katniss and tells her that Peeta is the Capitol's weapon, like Katniss is their's. We see Katniss talking to President Coin and Plutarch, telling them that they need to rescue Peeta as soon as possible or they can themselves another mockingjay. 

FINNICK.

Katniss picks up a white rose in a vase. This is obviously when she goes back to her house in the Victor's Village and finds the rose in her bedroom. I don't think this is her bedroom, but it's still her house. This bit creeped me out.

Then; Katniss in (I'm assuming) the District 8 'hospital' with everyone doing the three-fingered salute thing. 

Right, this next bit of them bungee jumping down a tunnel or something - is this a Peeta rescue mission? That's my theory, anyways.

We then see the bombing of District 13 - I think. Katniss and the gang are underground and dust is falling from the ceiling. Everybody looks a bit worried. So I'm assuming it's the bombing.

There's a scene of a damn breaking and Katniss standing under rain or water or whatever. I have no idea what that's about

We see the attack on District 8, which is one of my favourite scenes in Mockingjay. It doesn't go in to too much detail. It just shows Gale and Katniss aiming their gun/bow and fire at Capitol hovercrafts and blow them up. Awesome!

And then I explode because it ends. Such. A. Good. Trailer.

Thanks for reading guys. Love you all ♥

And the winner is...

Hey guys! These are the results for my 50 followers Writing Challenge. I had so many beautiful entries, but sadly I had to choose. :( I have given a 3rd, 2nd and 1st place along with a few honourable mentions. Please know that, even if I haven't chosen your entry as a winner, I loved all of them. You are all extremely talented writers! I narrowed 1st, 2nd and 3rd down to a few entries and then used a random name picker to pick a name. I will be giving the names of the runners up to each position as well.

I'm so sorry for this being late - I know I said they would be posted on Thursday but I kept on putting it off because they were all amazing and I didn't want to pick!
Let's get started.

Okay, in 3rd place is.......

Ella!

Congratulations Ella. Here's her entry:

The air around me hung suspended, frozen. The tips of my fingers were unfeeling, crammed into my jacket pockets in hopes that the numbness would melt away. Winter pressed itself against me, squeezing the oxygen from my lungs and drawing tears that pricked like needles on my skin.

I could hear the trees murmuring to each other, great oaks whispering back and forth.

"Do you see her down there?"

"Yes. She's standing by my trunk."

"Where is she going?"

"Where do you think? The same place they all go, in the end."

A breath escaped between my lips, and a pearly mist materialized before me, melting away as quickly as it had come.

But why not? This was the place where nothing stayed.

I heard it before I saw it. The sputtering and grinding of the engine, the tires crunching on the hard-packed snow. The headlights illuminated my figure, huddled by the curb, eyes too dark even to reflect the light.

The bus rolled towards me, its rusty doors already squeaking open before it lurched to a stop.

"You coming?" The driver had gray eyes. Ancient hands clutched the wheel like the branches of a gnarled tree.

I nodded, and stepped gingerly aboard. The smell of grease and ashes overwhelmed me. But there was something else there, too. Something familiar.

Three people. Three others like me. Stationed in their hard plastic seats, bent over and staring at the floor, clutching a backpack and looking stonily ahead.

I slowly lowered myself down. I could feel the aching in my knees, stiff and rusted and begging for relief. My hands found each other, and managed to fold onto my lap. They were still numb.

The doors scraped closed. The engine groaned but obediently sputtered on. Outside the dirt-streaked window, the oak trees did their best to wave goodbye.

"So, where are you headed?" The voice from beside me, quiet, tired.

I looked over. Raven hair. Ivory skin. A stranger. I turned back to the window.

"Home."

Well done Ella. Check out her blog Simply Scribbles. Here's a little picture thing. :)

The runners up for 3rd place were:

Lauren - Pretty Things and Polka Dots

Tane - Fifth out of Ten

Check out Lauren's entry here and Tane's entry here. Here's a button for you two lovely girls. :)

In second place is.......

Kat!

Congratulations Kat. Here's her entry:

It's time to wake up. To see the world properly. You're getting older now. You can't keep living in your dream.

It's time to wake up. It's time to see the trouble that's going on around you. To notice that not everyone is as lucky as you.

It's time to wake up. It's time to take your life into your own hands. To stop relying on others.

It's time to wake up. To decide what you're going to do. To be serious. It's time to stop playing around, getting into trouble.

It's time to wake up. It's time to notice who you are and what you're doing on this planet.

Well done Kat. Check out her blog (Almost) Completely Mad. Here's your picture:

The runners up for second place were:

Beth - Thoughts of a Long-Winded Lady

Eve - Eve of Womanhood

Click here for Eve's entry. Beth emailed me her entry, so it's below:

We're all just jesters dancing on an empty stage

Miming on tiptoe, pretending the act isn't going to end

But when the curtain falls, we all start to weep

Because we knew they were never ours to keep

We still rehearse, but we'll never perform

We make desperate acts in an attempt to hold on

The prices we all pay to not be alone

Remind me of the good things when I cannot share the throne

And if one little white lie is exposed,

We find ourselves forever alone.

And if one tiny little piece comes tumbling down,

We find that our whole world has been spun around.

The flowers that were thrown have withered away,

Their petals falling on an empty stage

The final performance is nothing but motions

Since there were never any emotions

And if all it ever was was a lie

What’s the point in us even claiming we tried?

The stage is destroyed, wasn't it all an act?

Our hearts in our throats, we don’t know how to react

Subtlety shooting the pitch-black sky,

Who’s fault is it, we can never decide,

Always taking sides in a nonexistent war,

Our lives are never the same as before.

The perfect fairy tale had fallen out of place,

Its bitter flavor is fading away.

The lies it’s so clear that we've all told,

Are nothing but false dreams outlined in gold.

The games that we all so willingly played

Always ended with a blackened page

The whispers from the crowd are rumors and lies

Unwittingly, we've planned our own demise.

Here's a thing for you guys:

And the winner is...........

~(•-•)~

JOLLYGIRL!

Congratulations Jollygirl! Here is her beautiful entry:

You were always there

Until you were not

You disappeared

You were gone

Your realness hidden away

Lost in a circle of taunting fears

Of nonacceptance

Caged by the veil

You laid upon yourself

Concealing

You,

Your beautiful self

Your strong emotions,

Your deep thoughts.

I used to admire you

But how can I now

When you've changed everything about yourself?

Well done, Jollygirl. Check out her blog, Reflections of a Jollygirl.

It was so hard to choose a winner. The runners up were:

MorningTime4 - The Ups and Downs of my Not-So-Average Life

Madeline - In the Wind

Sammie - Sammie the Stargirl

Click here for MorningTime4's entry, here for Madeline's entry and here for Sammie's entry.

Here are everybody else's entries:

Paige - The Joys of Being Paige - Entry

Rachel - Writing Half Alive - Entry

Chloee - The Secret Ghost Caller - Entry

Yasmine - Cloudy Dreams - Entry

Nabeela - Ridawkward-and-Hyperbubbly - Entry

Janice - The Other Version of Me - Entry

Emily - Lynde Avenue - Entry

Livy - Little Livys - Entry

Go read them all because they're all amazing! 

Right, that's it for a post today. I'm going to be posting again on Wednesday with a birthday book haul/general haul thing - I'm so excited for my birthday! 1 more full day! - and something for Creative Thursday because you don't need 3 posts in the space of a few days!

Thanks for reading guys. And thank you all so much for entering my writing competition!

A bunch of stuff I want to say in one post...

Hi guys!
As you can tell by the title, bit of a lots-of-random-things post today. Shall we begin? (If any of you got that reference, and said it in Khan's voice, please comment below and tell me I'm not alone •-• )

So my school uniform has changed - it's now blazers, shirts and ties. Bleugh. - and I went out with my mum to get me some shirts. And then I somehow ended up buying five books..... I have a problem, okay? It's okay though, because I got them from charity shops, so they were all really cheap and the money went to a good cause. That's my excuse. :P So um.. Here's my book haul. Ooops.

I doubt I will read any of these books soon, but they're nice to have.

The first book is Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. I'm sure you all know what Alice in Wonderland is about, but here's the blurb anyways:

When Alice follows the White Rabbit down a rabbit hole, she finds herself in an enchanted world, filled with creatures like the Mad Hatter, the disappearing Cheshire Cat, and the Queen of Hearts. Alice quickly finds out that nothing is as it seems in the wild world of Wonderland...

I saw it and thought it would be quite a nice thing to own. It isn't an illustrated copy - it's a Wordsworth Classic, so is the original story by Lewis Carroll - but it's still nice to own, as it is such a well known story and I'd like to read it.

The next book is Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick:

For Nora Grey, romance was never part of the plan. Not until Patch came along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgement.

But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora isn't sure if she can trust him. Patch seems to be everywhere she is and to know more about her than her closest friends. And when she tries to seek answers, she discovers she is right in the middle of a centuries-old battle between the immortal and the fallen... and it's time to take sides.

I know a lot of people say that this series just gets worse as it goes along, but I'd still like to read it so I can form my own opinion.

The third book is Perfect by Rachel Joyce. Le blurb:

Summer, 1972: In the claustrophobic heat, eleven-year-old Byron and his friend begin 'Operation Perfect', a hapless mission to rescue Byron's mother from impending crisis. 

Winter, present day: As frost creeps across the moor, Jim cleans tables in the local cafe, a solitary figure struggling with OCD. His job is a relief from the rituals that govern his nights.

Little would seem to connect them but two seconds can change everything. And if your world can be shattered in an instant, can time also put it right?

I picked this up because it has a really pretty cover. And then the blurb intrigued me. So I bought it.

Book number four is Ostrich Boys by Keith Gray. Blurby blurb thingy:

Kenny, Sim and Blake are about to embark on a remarkable journey. Stealing the urn that contains the ashes of their best friend Ross, they set out to travel 261 miles from Cleethorpes on the English east coast to the tiny hamlet of Ross in southern Scotland.

After a depressing and dispiriting funeral they feel that taking Ross to Ross will be a fitting memorial for a fifteen-year-old boy who changed all their lives through his friendship. Little do they realise just how much Ross can still affect life for them even though he's dead.

It sounds like a really sweet book and kind of John Green-esque. I am never opposed to a good contemporary.

And the last book is Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke. I'm not going to give you the blurb because it will probably spoil the first two books. My mum found the first book, Inkheart, and the second book, Inkspell, when she was tidying her room and gave them to me. I remember reading Inkheart when I was younger and watching the film and I really enjoyed it. I never got round to the second and third
book, so I have decided to read them all and read them soon (when I say soon I mean 'sometime next year probably maybe') I was a bit disappointed that we didn't have Inkdeath to complete the series so when I saw it for 20p in a charity, I grabbed it.

And that's the end of my book haul. XD You can look forward to another one in a week or so because it's my birthday in 9 days! YAY! I'm so excited. :) And I'll get quite a few books for my birthday, so book haul! I'm not having a party because they're too much hassle and I feel bad when I don't invite someone, but I'm still excited. 15 years old. That's a really weird... 15 means GCSEs and responsibility and more work, less reading/blogging/fun.

Time for my August Wrap Up!

Bookshelf:

Frostbite by Richelle Mead - 5 stars
How I Live Now - 2.5 stars
Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead - 5 stars
Blood Promise by Richelle Mead - 5 stars

Currently Reading:

Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead - page 177

Playlist:

Rude // Magic!
I See Fire // Ed Sheeran
Nothing Stays the Same // Luke Sital-Singh
Greatest Lovers // Luke Sital-Singh
Everything is Making You // Luke Sital-Singh
We Don't Belong // Luke Sital-Singh

(Basically all of Luke Sital-Singh's album The Fire Inside. It is absolute perfection. I love it)

I'd just like to add, my 50 followers Writing Contest is closed. Thank you to everyone that decided to enter - I had 18 amazing entries. I will be revealing the winner on Thursday. I thought it would still be a good Creative Thursday, it just won't be written by me - you can read everyone else's brilliant writing. :) There will be a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place and I will leave links to all entrants blogs and entries. If someone has emailed me there entry, I will write it out in the post. Obviously I couldn't do that for all the entries, or it would be a really, really, really long post.

Back to school tomorrow. (sarcastic) Yay! No, if I'm being honest, I really am looking forward to school. It'll be really nice to see my friends again, and to settle back into the routine of lessons. I really want to find out which teachers I have for my different subjects, and looking at my timetable, comparing it with my friends'. Yeah, I'm looking forward to it. But I'm dreading the early morning...
I'm spending my last free day watching The Desolation of Smaug (I love Legolas. I just... I love him), eating custard creams, blogging and reading. I just finished watching Torchwood and I want there to be a Season 5 so bad but I know there won't be. Sad times.

It is officially Autumn! I'll miss Summer, but Autumn is my favourite season. I thought I would do a little poem thing like I did last year for my first Creative Thursday, when it changed from Autumn to Winter. You can read that here. So here you go. :)

{I made dis. >.< The pictures in the words are from Google.

No stealing. Please give me credit if you use it}

Goodbye, Summer.

Goodbye to long days and blue sky.

Hot sun and cool breezes.

Dresses and sandals.

Wavy hair and tanned skin.

Waves lapping against my legs

And sand in between my toes.

Reading outside and picnics

And carefree Summer days.

Hello, Autumn.

Hello to shorter days and grey sky.

Watery sunlight and harsh winds.

Jeans and warm coats.

Thick socks and comfy boots.

Hair whipping against my face

And leaves tossed around in the wind.

Hot drinks and big jumpers.

Rain pattering on my window

And reading inside, snuggled under a blanket.

Long walks and crisp air

And the crunch of leaves under my feet.

I hope you enjoyed that. :) That can be my Creative Thursday, and then actual Creative Thursday will be written by everyone that entered my challenge. :)

I have just joined a new blog! Anna, from Banana and Bear, has set up a joint book review blog called We Are The Readers. And I'm an author as well as a few other girls! There aren't any posts up yet, but there will be soon. So head over there by clicking here if you want to find some awesome books to read. :)

Guys, I just realised. This is my 100th post! I have thought of, written, edited and posted 100 posts on my blog. Wow! That's crazy!

One more thing; I am thinking of changing 'Creative Thursday' to 'Thursday's Writings' It makes a bit more sense, but please let me know which you prefer in the comments. I won't be able to make a decision on my own! So tell me in the comments below if you prefer Creative Thursday or Thursday's Writings (or some variation of that)

Thanks for reading guys. Love you ♥

I'm back! - A tag, London haul & photos

Hello! I am back - for good now. I got back from London on Monday, but I was so tired then and on Tuesday that I just read and watched Torchwood (I cried at the season 2 finale. So emotional :( )
But I'm posting now! First I'll be doing a tag created by MorningTime4. My friend Megan tagged me so... I'm doing it. (congrats Bethan, stating the obvious there. Well done)
It's the Summer Rewind tag!

[source]

Rules:

1. Thank the person(s) who tagged you.

2. Post five to eight things that you did over the summer or upcoming in your summer schedule. Pictures are optional.

3. Answer the ten summer/autumn (fall) questions given to you.

4. Tag 5 or more bloggers and tell them by commenting on their blog.

5. Ask ten new summer/autumn (fall) related questions.

7. The banner above must be in the post and you must credit the photo and the tag origin.

1. The first thing I did in the summer was go on holiday to Devon with my family. It was so relaxing and I really enjoyed going swimming twice a day, every day. Half way through our stay, my brother's friend, Jack came to stay with us and we had a little table tennis tournament. I didn't win any games until the last day where I beat Jack 11-9. I was so happy haha! 

2. I went to see Guardians of the Galaxy in the cinema and it was absolutely amazing! I love Chris Pratt. >.<

I also went into town early on Thursday morning with my brother and we got some autographs from the Dr Who cast as we were waiting around by the Dr Who premiere place. That was super fun.

3. I had a sleepover with this lovely girl. We went into town for a little bit of a shop and I bought an amazing Gryffindor t-shirt. We had a really nice picnic-y lunch in the grounds of Cardiff Castle - we bought a meal deal in Tesco (British equivalent of Walmart) and then used our visitor passes to get into the grounds for free. The sleepover was also really fun. Lauren melted some galaxy chocolate in the microwave and we dipped marshmallows into it while watching a film called Starter for Ten with James McAvoy (X-Men First Class) and Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock) in it, as well as James Corden, Catherine Tate and Mark Gatiss. It was a really good film! We're definitely not being biased because of Benedict Cumberbatch.... Seriously, how does he still manage to look good when his character looks like this?

It is beyond me.

4. I met up with Charlotte for a little chat and she gave me some lovely presents that she got from Cyprus, where she went on holiday. I then went ice skating with her and my friend Olivia on Tuesday, which was really fun. I hadn't been ice skating for around 5 years, but I found it came relatively easily once I got into it. It was so much fun.

5. I stayed over my godmother's house with her two children, Daniel (7) and Oliver (4) I was actually staying there for Oliver's 4th birthday which was really nice. We went to loads of lovely places, including National Trust parks, the swimming pool and a little park area for Oliver's birthday where some of his family and friends came and we sat under a little gazebo with a picnic - it was really fun. :)

6. Once back, my cousin Alice came over and we watched Lilo & Stitch and Catching Fire as she hadn't seen either of those films. I then met up with my friend Ellie who had moved to Ireland in a few years ago and has since moved to England. I was there with Lauren, Megan and their friend Lucy. It was really nice to catch up with Ellie and to see the others. I had loads of fun. :)

7. And then I went to London! Oh my goodness, I did a lot! But more on London later on.

Questions

1. When did you get out of school?

I got out of school Friday 18th July.

2. When are you heading back to school?

Tuesday 2nd September - I don't want to go back!

3. Name three songs on your summer playlist.

Riptide - Vance Joy

Rude - Magic!

Don't - Ed Sheeran

4. Do you prefer beaches or swimming pools?

Swimming pools. I don't go to beaches often enough to say I love them. I mean, I do enjoy going to the beach. But I just don't go enough to love it. So, pools.

5. What's your favourite summer treat?

Ice lollies! Or popsicles for you Americans. They're so yummy and refreshing. :)

6. Does your skin tan or burn?

Burn! I have really pale skin so I need to coat it in SPF 50 before leaving the house...

7. Name a summer activity you love and one you despise.

I love love love swimming. That is my favourite summer activity. Hmm... I despise feeling hot and sticky. Not that we get that much in Britain... -_-

8. Something you discovered this summer?

Umm... how much I love my friends. I knew I loved them before but I never knew how much I loved and needed them.

9. If you can, post a picture of of your summer outfit.

I've used this photo so many times but I can't be bothered to take another one because I'm lazy...

10. Something you will miss from this summer?

Freedom. I'm going into year 10 - GCSE year - and I just know as soon as term starts I will be stressing and worrying about everything and will be working constantly so that I'm not the failure of the family. Year 10 is the beginning of endless exams and worry and work. And I'm not looking forward to that. I'll miss being free and not having to worry about anything too stressful.

Okay questions:

1. Does your skin tan or burn?

2. Dresses or shorts?

3. Swimming in the sea or sunbathing?

4. What is your favourite summer activity?

5. What is your favourite memory from this summer?

6. If you can, show a picture of your summer outfit.

7. When do you start back at school?

8. What are you most looking forward to about school and what are you dreading the most?

9. Name three songs on your summer playlist.

10. Something you will miss from this summer?

I tag:

Madeline // In the Wind

Rose // Truly. Madly. Deeply.

Elly // A Girl

Anna // Banana and Bear

Eve // Eve of Womanhood

Now, about London. :)

I went on the Friday and arrived at London Paddington at around 12:30. Had a little cup of Peppermint tea before heading off.

I did so much in London. Seriously, I cannot believe how much I did!

Day 1

Went to Oxford Circus and Picadilly Circus.

Went into giant Hamleys - bought a cola lolly (yum).

Saw Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey.

Went on the London Eye.

So I basically walked all. day.

Day 2

Climbed the O2 dome, which was absolutely amazing! The view was beautiful.

Went to Cafe Rouge for a nice brunch-y thing.

Travelled on the cable car.

Went back to Piccadilly Circus to go to Waterstones - Europe's largest bookshop!

Went to King's Cross Station to the Harry Potter shop at Platform 9 3/4 - it was so busy but I got the things I wanted!

Day 3

Went to this little restaurant place, The Haberdashery, for breakfast. So sweet.

Went to the Natural History Museum

Wondered around Stoke Newington, and their various independent bookshops

I was super busy! I bought quite a few things, so here's a little London Haul for you. :)

The first thing I bought was this cute little teddy at the O2 gift shop. I just couldn't leave him! I needed a souvenir from there, so I chose him!

I called him Otis. Because O2... Otis. Haha. Haha. I'm funny. >.<

I also bought a paintbrush pen from the Tate Modern. I love it - it's so cool!

As I said, we went to the Waterstones in Piccadilly Circus and it was buy one get one half price so....

 Oops...
My godmother Niki asked me to choose a book for her to buy me for my birthday. So I chose Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas as I have been wanting to read the series for ages. So when the second book, Crown of Midnight and the book of novellas, The Assassin's Blade, were buy on get one half price, naturally I had to buy them. The third book, Heir of Fire, comes out the day after my birthday, 11th September. Guess what I'll be spending my birthday money on...
I also bought a nice bookmark there. It's plain black faux leather (but it's really soft) with Waterstones stamped into it at the bottom.

At King's Cross Station, I bought a ticket from Platform 9 3/4 to Hogwarts.

I also bought a Ravenclaw keyring, as that is my Hogwarts house.

As you can she it's on my locker keys.... which have a lot of other keyrings on it. Maybe I'll show you guys one day. :)

After we went to the National History Museum, I saw a small independent bookshop and decided to have a look inside. They had quite a good YA section for an independent shop and I ended up buying Pandemonium and Requiem by Lauren Oliver.

I have Delirium and it has always annoyed me that I don't have the second and third book, despite having read the whole trilogy. So when I saw them for £3.99 each, I grabbed them!

My last buy is also a book. While wondering around Stoke Newington, I found a little secondhand bookshop and had a little look. I ended up finding Hexed by Michelle Krys, which is a book I have wanted to read for ages. And it was £2.50!

I love independent bookshops...

I did buy a few other things but they are presents so I can't show you in case the gift-receivers are reading.

So that's the end of my London haul. :) Now for a photo dump. Yay! Enjoy. :)

Paddington Station

 Trafalgar Square

 Trafalgar Square

 Trafalgar Square fountain

 Trafalgar Square lion

 I don't know what this is called, but it's beautiful

 The Mall

 Buckingham Palace

 Buckingham Palace: the Victoria Memorial

 Buckingham Palace: the Victoria Memorial

View of the lake in St. James' Park 

 Houses of Parliament

 Big Ben

 The London Eye

 View from the London Eye

 View from the London Eye

 London Eye and Big Ben

 Peppermint tea in Cafe Rouge

 The cable car

 The Shard

 The Shard and Southwark Cathedral

 Brownie and Coke in Southwark Cathedral (dedicated to my bro ;) )

 Awesome 'book bench' depicting Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

 Another angle of the book bench

 The back of the book bench

 Bridge (I don't know what it's called...)

 Shakespeare's Globe Theatre

 View of St Paul's Cathedral from the Tate Modern

 I love these so much! They are love locks. Couple will put a lock on a bridge, lock it and throw the key into the river. I love this one especially that says Forever and Always which I found on the Millennium Bridge :)

 St Paul's Cathedral

 St Paul's Cathedral

 Platform 9 3/4. There was a lady there with the four house scarves around her neck and you could choose which house scarf you wanted, wear the Harry Potter glasses and hold a wand while hanging on to the handle of the trolley and have your picture taken. Unfortunately, there was a massive queue, so I skipped it.

 The front of the Platform 9 3/4 Harry Potter shop

 King's Cross Station

 Peppermint tea at the Haberdashery (as you can probably tell, I love Peppermint tea...)

 My breakfast at the Haberdashery

 The Haberdashery. How. Cute. They had a stack of Penguin classics on the shelves which you could borrow in the restaurant, toy cars with the prices on and mismatched cutlery and crockery. Everything had a home-made feel to it.

 A gravestone in Abney Park

 A sleeping lion in Abney Park

 Another gravestone. When someone died young, the top of their mast gravestone was cut off to symbolise a life cut short.

 Part of a (very scary-looking) gravestone

 Part of a grave that a tree has grown around

 The front of the Natural History Museum

 The entrance hall in the museum

 Stained glass window in the museum

 Stairway in the entrance hall

 Monkeys carved onto the pillars in the museum

 Another monkey :)

 The mammals section

 The Baker Street stop on the Underground: Bakerloo line

My hot chocolate at Paddington Station before I boarded. I made a heart out of the white frothy milk on the top. :)

But wait, there's more! The rest of these photos are pictures my dad took - most are of me with some of the tourist attractions I saw. Enjoy. :)

 This is me outside Buckingham Palace

 The O2 arena

 The climbing trail on the O2 dome

 This is moi on the top of the O2

 Pointing to a You Are Here sign on the top of the O2

 Me, having a little sleep on a book bench outside St Paul's Cathedral

 These are the cars with the prices in the Haberdashery

This is me with ma buddy Charles Darwin, We're besties, as you can tell. ;)

So yeah, there we go! The London photo dump is done. :)

As a lot of you may know, there's this thing going around called the Ice Bucket Challenge. It was created to raise awareness for ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) a disease that affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Loads of people have donated to the ALS Association thanks to the ice bucket challenge.

I am now one of them.

^ This is me having ice water dumped on me. My mum enjoyed it far too much...

And yes, that is my dog in the background. She was loving it...

It was far from enjoyable, but I feel good having done it and donated to the ALS Association. Any of you that haven't done it, I really encourage you to. You don't even have to pour cold water over your head - you can just donate.

Thanks for reading guys ♥

UPDATE: You now have 3 days to enter my 50 followers writing competition. 3 DAYS. So if you are planning on entering, get your entries in. Either post it on your blog and leave me a link in the comments or email it to me at bethan{dot}thinkreadwritedream{at}gmail{dot}com

Also, I will not be posting a Creative Thursday tomorrow as I will be busy! So sorry about that, but I just won't have time. There will also be no Words post, as I will also be busy then - nothing exciting Thursday or Sunday, I just won't have the time. But I will be posting Monday. Love you guys ♥

UPDATE 2: You have all of today and all of tomorrow to enter my writing contest. It ends Sunday 31st August, midnight, YOUR TIME. If you are wanting to enter, do so quickly and within that time period.