14 sleeps until Christmas!
We're over a week into December now and just two weeks away from Christmas Day. As much as I am VERY busy with PGCE work, especially with the upcoming essay deadline, I'm still managing to find some time for festive fun. We keep getting lectured at Uni about well-being and looking after our mental health (literally, we've had lectures dedicated to this) and one thing that I know will improve my well-being is enjoying the frivolities of this wonderful season and allowing myself to indulge in them. In this post I'll share with you how I've spent December so far.
So, my month began with a trip to Doncaster with Joseph to get the final bits for our parents. Yes, you read that right, by the first of December we had successfully purchased and wrapped all of the presents for Mum and Dad - a round of applause would be appreciated. It didn't take us long to get everything either and Joe left as soon as we had, so I waited about in Starbucks until it was time to get my train to Lincoln for a weekend of drinking, dancing and dying (in that order).
I came to Lincoln primarly to meet up with Matthew, he saw Enter Shikari at The Engine Shed on Saturday night but was free in the day, so it seemed like a good chance for the two of us to meet up. Additionally, I had University on the Monday and I knew I had to attend after missing the session the week before because of cancelled trains. So, on Saturday I travelled through and met up with Matthew to have a little lunch date at our old favourite, Revolution.
No Revs date is complete without a couple of cocktails! It was lovely to be back in our Uni city, enjoying some food and a drink together after going three weeks apart. Though I don't feel the burden of long distance too badly, firstly because I'm used to it, secondly because I'm busy, and thirdly because we never let our time apart get either too long or be without daily texting and phone calls, when we're back together I realise just how lonely I have been! Don't get me wrong, it's lovely to have my own life and to do my own thing, but nothing compares to sharing occasions with the person you love. This weekend was about just that!
Not only was it important to me that I saw and spent time with Matt, but Saturday night was a great opportunity to meet up with friends too. I saw Maisie, Jack, Joe & Josie, Alyssa, and of course "Chinese" Joe too. It was such a successful night! There was a dog at pre's and the club wasn't heaving which meant easy access to the bar (which in turn resulted in a VERY hungover Sunday). After waking up with rather sore heads, we took a group trip to Nandos and then I waved goodbye to Matthew, sending him back to London with a couple of cute advent presents. I love club nights out now more than I think I EVER did at Uni. After the first semester of first year the novelty of nights out seriously wore off, not to mention I had secured myself a boyfriend by then and so our nights out consisted of drinking too much, arguing and then ending up reconciling over a McDonalds - ah, young love, but it got seriously repetitive! Nowadays it isn't often that I actually get to go out, so when I do I really make the most of it. It used to be a chore to get ready for the club but now I love the whole process! So I really enjoyed myself from the start of Matt's visit, to the very end, and even then I wasn't done socialising! After saying goodbye to Matt, instead of just heading home, Maisie and I took a walk to our friend Kyle's and spent the evening chilling out at his, getting some good pictures for his Tinder, of course.
So, a pretty lovely start to December, and as the week continued the loveliness just kept going. University was actually very useful on the Monday, we had some headteachers come in from local schools and explain to us how to successfully apply and interview for jobs within teaching. It was a really laid back day with a lot of good lectures and some fruitful discussions. Plus, we got free mince pies! For many this was their first of the season, for me, not so much... My mum and I have been taste testing them to determine which shop produces the best mince pies, so far I think we're leaning towards the Tesco Finest range. The pies from BGU were definitely up there in the rankings though, especially when accompanied with a gingerbread latte from Curiositea.
How tasty! So, that was Monday. I went back to work on Tuesday but luckily I finish at 3:10pm which means that I can make the most of the evenings. Usually I just sit in my bedroom doing planning, I won't lie, but this week I was determined to finish all planning within school hours so I didn't have to be tied to my laptop all night. Mum, Dad, Joe and I don’t often go out and do things as a family, but the release of Bohemian Rhapsody (and our 2for1Meerkat tickets) changed that, and this week we went along to Cineworld in Castleford for a truly wonderful cinematic viewing experience.
My dad is quite possibly the toughest critic of most things, films included, and even he admitted that this film was superb. I would recommend going to your local cinema to see this one while you can, I think watching it in that sort of surround-sound setting really adds to the experience of the film. I’ll admit, I’m not Queen’s biggest fan and I wasn’t overly enthused about going to see this film, but it totally won me over. The acting and singing were fantastic, the plotline was easy to follow and gripping, and I would say that I left wanting to know more and ready to do some research into the band.
Xscape, where our Cineworld is, was suitably festive – as you can see from the above images. We didn’t look around much, we went straight from the car to KFC to the cinema, but we still appreciated the décor, nonetheless. It was a nice change to go out and do something as a family, and one that we all enjoyed.
Towards the end of the week we began to decorate for Christmas, at last! With me being away on the 1st my family held off from buying the tree, knowing that I’d be desperate to tag along. We got the tree on Thursday and spent Friday evening and Saturday day time decking the halls... and the cats.
Felix just loves his Christmas dress! Unfortunately it won't actually fasten up around his middle... I think he'll maybe be joining me on a New Years diet in 2019. Anyway, Mum, Felix and I had a really lovely, festive day together while the boys were at football. We did some baking (those of us with apposable thumbs that is), a lot of decorating and had the Christmas music channel playing all day long.
Last year we attempted to construct a ready-made gingerbread house and it was a TOTAL disaster - our icing couldn't hold the thing together and it just collapsed! This year we definitely had more luck with our gingerbread. On Sunday I travelled back through to Lincoln ready for University on Monday. After a total of three train journeys, a speedy seven minute changed followed by a mammoth HOUR wait (and a Costa lunch) I made it.
Costa's brie, bacon and cranberry panini is a must if you're into the Christmas sandwich scene, by the way. I had mine with the hazelnut and praline hot chocolate which honestly didn't taste as good as it did when I first tried it a couple of weeks ago, I'm not sure if it maybe just doesn't go with the panini? It was fine, just not as nutty as the first one I'd had - and I'm all about the nuts. Anyway, upon arriving in Lincoln I spent some time having a wander through the shops, but it was super busy and dragging a case around a crowded Highstreet is not my idea of fun, so I headed up to my on-campus B&B. I had to wait an hour before being able to check in, so I popped into the refectory, bought myself a coffee and watched Zoella’s Vlogmas – don’t judge, she’s festive AF.
I finally made it into the room at 4pm and I had a quick catch up with Matthew who had spent the day writing up a job application - wish him luck! I had planned to go around to Kyle’s for a festive meal but had a lot of time to kill beforehand, so opted to take a solo trip to Lincoln Christmas Market. Since moving away from home back in 2015 I have grown increasingly able to do things by myself – and enjoy doing things by myself, which I think is such an important ability to have as a human being. In fact, as I write this now, I’m sat alone in a coffee shop eating my lunch! Though I love socialising and spending time with friends and family, it’s so good knowing that if I want to go and do something and nobody else is around to go and do it with, I’m more than capable of going it alone. I’ve found that sometimes it’s nicer to do things independently too, especially if it’s something you really want to do, that way you’re not having to worry about anyone else and if they’re enjoying themselves. Every year I go to Lincoln Christmas Market and every year I compromise what I want to do for whoever I’m there with, which is fine – quite frankly, it’s what life is about! This year though I got to treat myself to exactly what I wanted. A calm, steady stroll round the market, a taste test of the cheese, a purchase here and there, and then a pleasant walk down Steep Hill to go and see Kyle.
Kyle cooked us up a yummy roast dinner, complete with a starter AND a pudding. I brought along some fizz and a some festive novelty accessories, and it was like our very own Christmas dinner served early! On the menu was leek and potato soup with crusty bread, roasted pork belly with potatoes and veg, then apple crumble and double cream - all homemade I might add! Kyle did a brilliant job, I was very impressed.
During my time at Uni I always wanted a cute Christmas meal and for one reason or another, we never managed it. This year I finally got my perfect ‘flatmas’, catching up with two of my first-year friends and reminiscing about all the fun we had as undergraduates. I don't really miss my student days, I'm happy at home (for the most part) and feel like I definitely outgrew student living after third year. However, sitting in a student house drinking prosecco and eating Christmas food with Kyle and Maisie just felt like home. Bring on next week when Maisie is cooking!
So, I think it's safe to say that I have had a great introductory week to December! I'm back at work now, one day down and three more to go. Luckily I have some more super exciting plans in store for this weekend, so watch this space!