Life Lately- First Half of 2014

Hello all my sweeties! So I am finally back- after 15 state exams, I am officially done and over with the Junior Cert and back doing what I love- running this little blog, of course! As I haven't blogged recently, I decided to put up a Life Lately post- where I discuss things I've been loving recently and update you on my latest obsessions. I have fewer beauty and fashion things to ramble about today- I've been trudging in my horrible school uniform through exam halls, makeupless and tired, hence June has gone a little slowly. Anyway, here are the things I have been loving- I hope you enjoy!

Beauty

Palmer's Dark Chocolate and Cherry Lip Balm

I go through lip balms quite quickly- and I'm always on the hunt for more effective ones, better smelling ones, prettier ones, pinker ones. Although I swear by the good ole' Vaseline, I'm always buying tubs of new lip balms- like this one. I had tried the original Palmer's lip balm, and I loved it- the exact same with this one. This is amazing. It smells amazing, almost good enough to eat. It moisturizes dry lips immediately, leaving a thick layer of butter on the lips with a pretty red tint- it is very tinted, a cherry red colour. This makes my face look more awake and refreshed, and it's been a must-have for the days when I opted for a bare face.

Catrice Waterproof Ultra Fine Ink Eyeliner

Catrice does the job every time- it's like a more grown up version of Essence, with the same price tag. I was actually for the lookout for the original Catrice Liquid Liner, as suggested by the lovely Melanie Murphy in one of her Youtube videos, however I found that this liner had an applicator which was a sponge, and not the usual brush applicators I look for. So I opted for this Ultra Fine Liner, with a small bristle brush. This liner is very much like the Essence Liquid Liner, except the tube is bigger and the brush is a little bigger too. This is great for winged liner, the only liner I do- it's easy to wing it out and get a sharp edge on the wing, and the brush is very flexible, with easy application. If you are desperate to try out the cat eye or eager to master it, I highly recommend this eyeliner. Mine is in the black waterproof shade- 010 Don't Move!

Fashion

Penney's Jelly Sandals

Every summer, I invest in a few cheap pairs of flats to get me through walking around the town, the Vilnius city and this year- Amsterdam! This year, I wanted retro sandals, and a pair of comfy jelly shoes- and this pair ticked both boxes. I love their alternative mint shade, the weave detail in the front and how undeniably comfy they are. These suit almost every look, from dresses to jeans to skirts to shorts, and make a statement. For only a few euros in Penneys, I'll be wearing these to death- and because of their rubbery-jelly texture, they won't wear quickly.

Thrifted A-Wear Cotton Top

Oh, A-Wear. How I can never bring up myself to pay 40e for a gorgeous top, and how you always pull off every trend, every season. Luckily for me, scouring the local thrift shops with my patient mother every Saturday finally paid off, proving you can get a good bargain in a charity shop. I discovered this absolutely beautiful light cotton top for only 4e, with the most stunning lace trims and lace detail on the front, shoulders and back. It has a high neck, cotton trims and panels with lace ruffles on the front. I can already imagine wearing this on the dusty Vilnius streets with the sun pouring out of the sky- oh my goodness, if only the weather was better here. I am so in love with this beauty, and this may be my best ever thrift shop find- even better than the Topshop skater dress I found a few months ago.

Random

The Junior Cert

3 years, 5 practicals and 15 2 hour exams later, I am done and dusted with the Junior Certificate. Finally, I can breathe :) That is until I come back to school in September, and will have to start preparing for the Leaving Cert in 2 years time haha...anyway, for the meantime, I hope everybody got on well with their exams and I'm wishing you luck for the results, because I know I'll need help hiding them haha:) In the photo, is my best attempts trying to clear and sort through all the JC rubbish and books- the amount of sheets and handouts I have thrown out is unbelievable...

Bertie Gilbert

Another month, another boy crush...I've loved Bertie Gilbert for a long time, ever since he was a cocky Youtuber, and especially now, since he is a creative and mature filmmaker, with 4 short films made and 3 released. Bertie, for a 17 year old filmmaker and director, is extremely talented- his films are beautifully shot with clear messeges and hints beneath the surface. The above is a poster for his third short film only released recently, 'Tick Where It Hurts' - which you can watch here. I've been more into Bertie and his work recently- maybe because he actually DM'ed me on Twitter, after I tweeted him asking why he removed some of his old videos (!!!!!). I, of course, screamed.

Canon 600D

Oh yes, now on to what has been recently making my life exciting. I turned 16 years old in May, and for my birthday, I got something from my parents that I had been after for years- a DSLR camera, specifically the Canon 600D. It took me a long time to choose and select the camera I wanted, and it turns out I'm a Canon girl after all! I got mine from Currys, and purchased a double lens version- meaning I got the standard lens and a powerful 75-300 zoom lens too. I've been craving a good DSLR for ages, both for myself and for this blog, means I'm happier to keep blogging as quality and good images make posts better and prettier. If you're wondering why the photos in this post look better than they usually do, it's thanks to this bad boy! I'm still learning how to use it properly and to its full potential, but I know a lot about it already and I will have a whole post, talking about the Canon and showing some practice shots, coming later this week!

Also, a quick note- I hit 10,000 pageviews earlier this week! Thank you so much for clicking on my blog every week, you guys are amazing.

And that's it! I'm happy to be back blogging, and I hope this lengthy post didn't bore you! Thanks so much for reading! Feel free to comment any favourites you've recently had :)

My Twitter- @gabysayshey

Gaby x 

How To Tie Dye

I am back today to give you a little tutorial on tie dyeing clothes. Over the Easter, I've had some free time (even though the Junior Cert is less than a month away, haha) and after seeing a Youtuber post a tutorial on tie dyeing, decided to give it a go myself. It really is so simple, but you need to make sure you have the right requirements to make it work.

1. Fabric Dye

I used all Dylon products here, and I suggest you use the Dylon dyes too because they really are the best. I picked up two colours for my tie dye- violet and green. The dyes come in little sachets and are sold separately, unless you want to buy a box of different dyes. Each little sachet costs around 2-3e, and I bought mine in the chemist's. They are available in lots of different places, and in a huge variety of colours. If you want a specific shade, make sure to check the Dylon website and pre-order it where you can, which is what I did.

2.Dye Salt

This is the thing that does all the magic. It lets the dye absorb into the clothing, and you will be lost without it. You can use ordinary table salt if you wish, the Dylon dye salt is just non-edible salt and it's much cheaper. 

3. Colour+Fabric of the Clothing you wish to dye

This is super important. The lighter the item you wish to dye is, the better the colours will show up. Colour mixing rules also apply, so if you dye a yellow t shirt blue, the result will be green. Make sure your clothing isn't made of nylon or polyester- plastics don't dye. If it is of natural fabrics, eg cotton, wool or linen, it is the most suitable. The t shirt I dyed was white, and 100% cotton, so I was in luck.

Above are all the basics you're going to need- you will need a few other tools you'll find around the house too.

You will also need 2 empty water bottles with a narrow/squeezy top, as this will make applying the dye easier. 2 rubber bands will hold your t shirt in shape when it's all twisted, and you will need some gloves too, to prevent multi coloured hands when you're done.

So firstly, I brought everything down stairs and prepared my t shirt. Make sure it is freshly washed, it needs to be damp. I stuck mine under the cold tap until it was fairly wet, then laid it out neatly on the floor. Put your hand in the middle of the t shirt, and twist the rest of it around your hand, kind of forming a Chelsea bun. Then, use the two rubber bands to secure your t shirt and hold it all together. Leave it aside.

Next, get all your dyes ready. Put the kettle on and measure out 100ml of boiling water into each bottle. Then, measure out 400ml cold tap water and add this to each bottle, so you have 500ml warm water in each bottle. Take your dyes and with gloves on, carefully transfer the contents of each dye into each bottle, you can even use a funnel if you wish. For the dye salt, I stuck to 2 tablespoons of dye salt per bottle. Screw on the tops of the bottles, and give them a good shake to mix.

Then, take your t shirt and throw it on the grass outside, as this part will get the surroundings dyed. Squeeze each bottle on to the t shirt, and turn it over to make sure it's evenly dyed. Leave the t shirt in a plastic container for 4- 24 hours, the longer, the better. Wash out excess dye under the tap and when the water runs clear, throw your t shirt into the washing machine on its own. Then simply take it out, dry it, and you're done!

The above was my result. Because of the way I twisted the t shirt, I got a pretty swirly pattern, but there is other ways you can do it as well. I did put a sachet of dye into each bottle, and this must have been a bit too much, as I had some remaining dye floating on top, unmixed, which explains some very vibrant dots on the t shirt, but they're barley noticeable.

All in all, it's a really cool thing to do as you will have a unique, one of a kind t shirt! The results are never the same, and you can use the same amounts for a few t shirts as well, as there is a lot of dye left if you're only dyeing one piece of clothing (I poured mine out at the bottom of the garden, haha). I hope my explanations were clear enough, if not, please dont hesitate to comment with questions! The dye does wash out so your colours do fade after you wash them in the washing machine, so don't panic. I would recommend to wash the clothing you dyed on it's own as well, to prevent staining other clothes.

I hope you enjoyed this blog post, and good luck if you are giving this a go!

My Twitter- @gabysayshey

Gaby x

Zoella

So today I'm back to talk to you about one of my all time favourite Youtubers- the gorgeous Zoe Sugg, or Zoella. Youtubers have taken over the internet over the last couple of years, especially British Youtubers- and Zoella is in the midst of it all. For those of you that don't know her, she has a blog and a Youtube channel with over 4.5 million subscribers, in which she uploads beauty, haul and lifestyle videos every week. Her ever-growing audience spread their obsessions through Tumblr, Twitter and go crazy over her vlogs that she posts on her

side channel, MoreZoella.

I discovered the lovely Zoe at around September 2012- by watching one of her Primark hauls, and noting how incredibly pretty she is. She was then just an ordinary Youtuber, with nearly 1 million subscribers- however now, she gets the opportunity to be on the cover of Company magazine, travel to Dubai, Italy and the US, recieve amazing free stuff (everything from clothes to expensive makeup, not to mention all the presents her viewers send her), she is living the dream of an Internet superstar- something that none of us thought possible.

Let's be real- one of everyone's favourite things about Zoella is undoubedly her gorgeous, ombre, thick, long locks. Zoe is tiny in size, so her extraordinary long hair makes her even more flawless. 

Even though we love watching her show us what she's recently bought, or listen to her ramble about makeup whilst looking fragile and pretty in front of an expensive Canon and studio lights, when we get a sneek peek at her life through vlogs, blog posts or rumours, that's when it gets even more interesting. The British Youtubers tend to stick together, which boosts their popularity and keeps their videos and collabs hilarious and more personal. After months of er fans 'shipping' Zalfie- herself and fellow Youtuber Alfie Deyes- Zoe published a blog post verifying that they were together. 

Zoe does live a luxurious lifestyle, attending red carpet events and movie premieres every now and again. She has won a series of awards, including a Teen Choice Award. 

  

Working with DailyMix, the channel on Youtube that brings all Youtubers together, she has met One Direction (several times!), flew to Dubai and met Fearne Cotton, Alexandra Burke and many other celebrities.

Personally, I love Zoe to bits- she's charasmatic, bubbly and absolutely lovely. Her videos are always gorgeously made, filmed and edited, and I definitely hope she won't chop her hair off any soon! She's been a huge inspiration for me to start this blog, because it all began for her when she started a blog.

Thank you for reading!
My Twitter- @gabysayshey


Gaby x 

'Average' - Body Image Pt 3

This is definitely something I've wanted to write about for a while- and it really, really has to be said, coming from a teenage girl, going through the time of life where appearance matters more than anything else. Ever since this came into the media, people have either loved or hated it, and just like always, this is my own opinion, and I'm not trying to force it on anybody. Fetch a cup of tea and a cookie- cos I won't shut up for ages, haha.


This is a Barbie doll. One way or another, us girls would have had a good few of these when we were young girls- to brush their waist-length natural blond hair, to stuff their little tiny hands into new pretty tight outfits, to guide them around our bedrooms that became their hottest shopping spots, to admire their undoubtedly beautiful faces, perfect makeup. I'm not going to lie, when I was in playschool, me and my friends would pretend we were Barbie dolls- we had Barbie diaries, Barbie watches, Barbie stationary, we would read Barbie magazine and wear pink clothes to death. Admittedly, we did want to be Barbies- but for crying out loud, we were 6 years old. I even had a 'Barbie' outfit- this consisted entirely of pink, and whenever I wore it I felt confident and pretty. Even today, wearing dresses and high heels gives me that very same feeling, but Barbie means not much to me now. I was a child, and I grew out of this phase, just like everyone else does at some stage.



This is a Lammily doll. This is rumoured to be the 'new' Barbie, and took the media by storm when the idea was first introduced. She is supposed to be the 'good' influence on young girls that play with this doll- she is based on the average height, weight, hair length+colour, and average shoe size of an American woman. She has a supposedly 'healthy' lifestyle, where she goes to work dressed professionally, keeps fit and loves animals. She wears minimal makeup and looks natural, dresses casually.





The Lammily doll was created using 'standard human body proportions', to avoid the increase of eating disorders and other body image related problems in tween to teenage girls. The Lammily slogan is 'Average is Beautiful', all in aid of making normal sized girls feel normal, they way they should. The Lammily doll is supposed to be their icon, the doll that revolutionizes the way girls think about their bodies.

Above are images of the ordinary Barbie and the Lammily doll, side by side. The Barbie doll is much more prettier than Lammily, undoubtedly- thin, fragile, tall body shape, long thick blond hair, beautifully made up face. Barbie has a sense of fashion and style, right from her minature shoes to the tailoring on her clothes, even to the colour of her tiny nails. Lammily, however, is much more curvier than Barbie, her clothes are simple, basic- her curves are much more clear, she has large feet, makeupless face and shoulder length brown hair.

Firstly, I 100% understand where the concept of the Lammily doll has come from. It makes perfect sence to me why it would be put in production, but I think the marketing scheme has been handled terribly. The Lammily doll is not the 'new' Barbie- it is simply a new doll put on the market, with a new idea and lots of talk about it. It has nothing whatsoever to do with Barbie. Why not have a go at Bratz dolls then too? Their heads are larger, they are shorter, wear more makeup and are more into fashion than Barbie is- surely they're the partying, hardcore versions of Barbie, the ones we should be having a go at for being unrealistic. 

When the Lammily doll does come into production, no one is going to buy this doll. Regardless of the kind-hearted concept behind this doll, no 5 year old girl is going to stroll into Smyths, drool through shelves of pristine, perfect, pretty Barbies and Bratz dolls and whatever else and choose the Lammily doll. 'Simplicity is Beauty' - that may be the case, if you're Cara Delevingne. The Lammily doll isn't attractive- she isn't pretty, her clothes are not in fashion, she is chubby and short and does not compare to the gorgeousness of Barbie. Regardless of the marketing plots behing Lammily, a child would never be happy with this doll. When I was 6, I was superficial- just like everybody else my age. It wasn't substance for me, it was purely style. If it looked good, had some pink, it did the job- and Lammily is the opposite of that. In comparison to Barbie, she looses in every category.

However, the slogan annoys me so much. 'Average is Beautiful' - fair enough, but is that to say that if I'm over or under a certain 'average' height, shape or size, that Ii'm not normal? What even is average in today's society? There is no normal, and there never was and never will be! Thanks to body modifications, plastic surgery, and even clothes, people wear whatever they wear. And to excuse my language, I don't really give two craps whether my body or what I look like is average or not. Average is not beautiful- believing in yourself, achieving goals, having confidence and expressing yourself through clothing or by other means is beautiful.

Barbie is a doll, a fantasy, a figment of someone else's imagination. She was created to be admired, to be called pretty, to look delicate as she sat poised on your shelf, not be striven to be. She is the perfect unrealistic version of a girl, created to be admired and looked at, not held as an icon, not idolised. If girls wanted to look like a Barbie doll, peroxide would never last for more than 2 minutes on a shop shelf. The Lammily doll sets the law for what is average and normal- and if we stick to what is average and normal, then creativity, self expression and other means of art will never thrive.

Remember this is only my own opinion :)

Thanks for reading!
My Twitter- @gabysayshey



Gaby x

Body Image - Feeling 'Fat'

A good few months ago I wrote a blog post about Body Image, which was actually one of my first blog posts. I always felt that body image, body weight and looking 'good' is a touchy topic, especially when it comes to weight- especially when it comes to being thin.

I started this blog because I felt I had a lot of knowledge in regards to all things beauty and fashion- especially makeup, which products to use and which to not, my small hauls and the things I wear, because they're topics I'm passionate about. Obviously, I'm only 15 years old so I haven't been educated on any of these things, but I am interested in them and I do follow fashion trends.

There is things people can and can't wear, if they want to look good in it, stat. It applies to everyone- not everyone will look amazing in a bodycon dress and not everyone will look amazing in a skater dress, but that's just the way it is. It is life, for crying out loud- not everyone is A+ in a particular subject, and not everyone can run the fastest- it's the exact same with clothes.

Unfortunately, the minute something doesn't look good on someone, they burst out with the only conclusion that seems reasonable to them- 'I'm fat.' This is madness, oh my goodness- short shorts can't suit everyone, it doesn't matter what the scales say- your weight is irrelevant. People are different, their body shapes are different- and just because a leather skirt looks good on you, doesn't mean it will look good on me. Just because wedges look good on Mary down the street, doesn't mean they will look good on her friend who is the exact same weight.

There are body shapes, and magazines refer them to things like 'Apple, Carrot, Pear' and if you want to categorize yourself under those categories, it is completely fine. Reality is, that 'Pears' will not look as good with some clothes on as 'Carrots' do, and that's completely fine too. Some items of clothing don't suit some body types- for example, being tall and thin, with a dress that doesn't have a cinched-in waist, the dress will look like it's hanging off a hanger when I put it on. 

Being a girl that complaints about her weight, every now and again- because it is too low, keep it in mind- I'm addressing this too all girls that consider themselves 'fat'. If you feel you are overweight, then do something about it- eat a balanced, healthy diet, go to the gym more often- but hearing you complain bitterly about your weight and how 'fat' you look when wearing a tight dress is exhausting. Some shops make mistakes of catering clothes that will suit thin girls only, and that's a mistake too. Shop around and look for clothes that you love and feel confident and beautiful in- embrace your body type, and show as much flesh as you want to, as long as you're not giving out about your weight. Be realistic about things that suit you and things that don't - even though a lot of people tell me I have a so-called 'perfect' body type, there is still types of clothes I would never wear.

Remember, confidence shines through- and just because you feel you look overweight in a certain top, doesn't mean you actually are- and most of the girls that say they're 'fat', most of the time aren't. Your confidence is the most important thing, so wear whatever makes you happy- looks aren't everything- and that's coming from a fashion and beauty blogger :)


Thanks for reading!
My Twitter- @gabysayshey

Gaby x

Matty Healy

Oh Matty, Matty, Matty. Matty Healy is the lead singer of the indie rock band the 1975, to which everyone who is anyone is listening to at the moment. They're flawless, their music is raw, liquid gold and I have been loving them since about November/October, ever since I discovered Chocolate. I downloaded a few other 'popular' songs of theirs and then I got addicted and now boom! I'm obsessed.

Matty really pulls the band together, but he wouldn't really make it out on his own. He writes all the lyrics to the songs, and yes, he does get occasionally high, which explains why some lyrics make -0.78% sense. Nevertheless, he is absolutely gorgeous as he whips his thick, dark locks in front of the 1975 logo at his gigs as his little pale hands brush the expensive guitar strings for 'Girls'. He drinks a lot, and is tired a lot, but it all adds up to his tired, Doc Marten-wearing, ripped jeans image. His black leather jackets killed me- and after my beloved green one was unfortunately stolen, I went out and bought a black leather one, which I cannot- cannot - live without. 

One of my favourite things about Matty is his interviews- especially the way he talks. It's not just some junkie, tired and run down rubbish no one can understand- no, Matty talks like a wise man, the way he phrases his sentences, bases his experiences on the band and puts it all into perspective. He doesn't lie, when a journalist asked him how the singles first came out, he replied, 'We had nothing. All we had was a laptop, and my bedroom. We got our shit together, we started releasing records. We had nothing, we stole everything else.' I think that's something really admirable. It's not necessary to go out and steal things, obviously, but if you really want it, and think you can get it, then go for it. 

My favourite songs include Chocolate (obvs), Girls, Settle Down, 102, HNSCC, Head.Cars.Bending, She Way Out, Sex, Menswear, You and The City.

Matty gets often asked of how the band name came along. He always explains how when he was 17, he got given some poetry notebooks and a diary of a mad, suicidal man, who dated his entries with the year 'the 1975'. This caught Matty's attention, and well, the rest is history. I think it's amazing you still have some genuinely creative people left, and not wannabe personalities. Matty was already reading poetry books at 17, writing his own lyrics. As of today, his band is 10 years old, and Matty is only 24. Truth be told, they didn't graft tirelessly for those 10 years, he says they only 'got our shit together and started making records' recently. Creative talent shines through so early, and I think it's amazing Matty has been doing his own thing his entire life, even during the tender years of teenagehood.

Their best-known song, Chocolate, is a love letter to the police is Manchester. Matty may have 300 non- stop gigs this year, but he was a rebellious, carefree teenager who made fun of the cops as they 'had nothing better to do but chase us down for smoking'. This rebellious side of his reflects in his songs, and his fans mean the world to him- and he definitely means the world to us, too.

Thank you so much for reading!

Shoutout to my best babe Siobhan <3

My Twitter- @gabysayshey

Gaby x

Bel Air

Today, I want to share with you another one of my written 'short stories'- and this one was inspired by a dream I had, late February last year, that motivated me to deal with problems I had at the time. It motivated me, and pushed me- but I wrote this a month or so ago, for school, originally. I decided to put it on here as well, just to let you guys know what I do in my spare time. Hope you like! 

My Twitter- @gabysayshey

Bel air

‘Back in my Bel Air days, before I got married and left the States, I underwent a lot of pressure, stress and anxiety in my everyday life, due to general unorginasation and craziness. I would strut to meetings in high heels during the weekdays and spend the weekends in dark and hazy bohemian bars, with new beautiful friends every week, in flourishes of peroxide and cologne. By the time the end of the month approached, the city fumes and the hot sweat, compiled with my never-ending headaches, eventually got the better of me, and one weekend, I threw myself into a random train, an overnight bag beside me, and let it bring me anywhere, and I luckily discovered the loneliest part of Bel Air.

I came across it by accident, and returned to it once every few months, to clear my head, inhale the fresh cold air, right up until we moved.

The train would drop me off and I would hire a bright red 97’ Chevrolet at the station- similar to my very own one- and drive until I found it. This consisted of 2-3 hours of darting around the town, zig-zagging, turning and driving monotonously to and fro, until the place would appear, until the little gravel road would find me.

In all simplesness, it was really just an abandoned large cottage in the middle of a field of crisp grass, surrounded by a few bare young deciduous trees, standing lonely around the cottage, like they were keeping the house’s company, reassuring its loneliness.

By the time I would find that secluded area, peripheral from the rest of Bel Air, sheltered and hidden, the sunset would be hitting that point where it just gets unmistakably gorgeous: a bright, deep, crimson sun with orange cirrus clouds accompanying it, as if protecting it from harmful eyes. Flakes of orange were woven in-between the clouds, shades of yellow were flaked into the white light, like something out of a Technicolor 1970’s movie. Stars had just begun to show, desperate to get a peek of the extraordinary sight, peeping in, always from the left side of the sky, bringing darkness and a full cold moon with them.

Even though night time would be fast approaching, as the heat cooled and temperature fell, the birds awakened, became alive, and a mockingjay’s song was always very clear and shrill, but I could never spot any mockingjays themselves. Starlings and sparrows treated the colourful sky like a playground:  they darted in and out of the clouds, formed clusters and geometrical shapes, flapping their dark wings excitedly, chattering amongst themselves as darkness fell.

The sky was busy, but so was the ground, the field that held the lonely cottage. Long, uncut blades of grass brushed and tingled my sins as I strode through them, and the bed of greenery was a home to wild field flowers; sunshine coloured daffodils, the biggest petals I had ever seen. The green sea also held daisies, not tiny little flowers, no, large proper heads of daisies on which you could predict your love life on- ‘he loves me, he loves me not…’. The flowers had the most wonderful scents- sweet, delicate aromas that washed over you, combined with the fresh smell of grass and freedom, relaxed my tensions. I used to wish it could’ve been possible for me to somehow store all of the scents in a flask, and bring it back to the city, to use as a tool for releasing any anxieties whenever I wished, but unfortunately it wasn't to be.

Bare trees complemented the cottage, with their stiff, thick, rugged bark and thin branches that made a ‘snap!’ when broken. Thick low clouds seemed imprisoned in those branches, thick pink candyfloss clouds, dense with precipitation.

Dirty, beige paint chipped off the walls of the house, and cherry trees stood tall, mighty and proud, in all of their glory, at the back of the house, in what would've been the garden. They always had cherries that weighed down the branches- ripe sparkling fruit on green stems, but I discovered that around 1 in a dozen cherries, there was only one sweet and sickly- the other eleven lying sisters were sour like lemons. Regardless, I always kept coming back for more, picking and tasting until I hit the jackpot.

That field, those daisies and starlings and dusty windows were my home in a foreign land, my own private piece of paradise, here for me whenever I wished. The place had a taste of mystery around it- whose house was it, who had lived here, why had they left? I never researched, and I never really cared, all I knew was that Heaven was available, exclusively to me, whenever I wished to visit.’

Thanks for reading!

Gaby x