Long time, no blog post!

I would like to apologise profusely to anyone who reads my blog and was interested in reading my posts, as it has just recently occurred to me that I have not posted anything here for over a year. Oops. In my defence, I was currently reading and writing my way through my second year of my English degree. Not a valid excuse, you say...? Damn. My bad.

So what have I been up to in my absence? I smashed my way through year two. Other than that, not a great deal! I worked my butt off solidly from September to the end of May for uni, and (RESULT) managed to gain an amazing grade for second year, and since then, I haven't been up to all that much. I decided it would be a good chance to relax and chill for a few months after working what seemed like 25 hours a day to get all of my texts read, essays written, and exams prepared for and executed. Some of the main things I have done over the summer, however, are as follows: (not in chronological order)

• I read all seven Harry Potter books. This makes the top of the list because I have been meaning to do this for SO LONG. (I have actually read them all before, before anyone pipes up) I loved being able to read them all in one continuous stream, and I genuinely forgot how absolutely amazing each individual book is. I felt so many emotions and forgot so many interesting events that happened and was still so upset when characters died, despite knowing what was coming. The thing that blew me away the most was enjoying the books more this time round. I don't know how or why, but I did. I cried when I closed Deathly Hallows. Props to you, Rowling.
• I also read a few more books which I've been wanting to sink my teeth into for a while. The first was Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (though this was on the GCSE syllabus, my group studied To Kill a Mockingbird instead), which I thoroughly enjoyed. I absolutely flew through it, and became so absorbed in the story and its characters. The only thing that disappointed me was how relatively short it was! Next, I went on to Arthur & George by Julian Barnes, after having watched the television adaptation on ITV starring Martin Clunes. (side note: watching this resulted in my choice of dissertation topic. Post about that to follow soon) This was another enjoyable read; I enjoyed how much more detail there was in the novel than the series. I also re-read The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, after having not long before watched the film. I did enjoy the film, but I did not feel as though it fully did justice to the novel and its gripping and moving storyline. I also ventured a little out of my reading comfort zone and read Life with a Sprinkle of Glitter by Louise Pentland (aka sprinkleofglitter on YouTube). I decided to buy this as I have watched Louise's videos for a lot of years, and really admire her attitude to life, towards other people, and to motherhood. I love knowing that famous vloggers have gone through the same typical teenage problems as you.
• I binge-watched a whole heap of things. Primarily, all of Parks and Recreation, Game of Thrones, and American Horror Story. It was so good to spend entire days on end watching such quality TV. Parks and Rec is literally my favourite thing (fans will get the reference), and Leslie Knope is my idol. I hope one day I am as passionate about my work and career and life as she is. Game of Thrones was a complete whirlwind from start to finish. The main thing I learnt from this show is not to get attached to any character ever because they will die. Another whirlwind was American Horror Story. I have no idea how to describe it other than weird. But an intriguing, suspenseful, shocking and brilliant weird.
• My friend Mia hosted a Pie Party. For which she baked four (yes, FOUR) different types of pie. I was so full of pie, which is one of the best things to be.
• I went to the wedding of two lovely people, which was such a beautiful day. The whole afternoon was wonderful. (Despite the fact that I was on medication for a severely infected insect bite... Oh, how I love the summer...)
• I have managed to explore Lincoln a little on a few occasions, exploring a few new places heretofore undiscovered. I am so fortunate to be living in such a vibrant, wonderful city.
• I went to two gigs that my boyfriend's band, The Empires, played. You can check them out on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, if that floats your boat. (#shamelesspromotion, hahaha)
• My boyfriend celebrated his 21st birthday, which meant that I got to buy him lots of presents and balloons and it was GREAT. We also went to the cinema to see Ant-Man, which was amazing, and then went out for a meal with family and friends in the evening, and then for a few drinks. Then we decided to come back to ours and stay up to the wee hours of the morning, whilst consuming copious amounts of jelly shots, listening to my spectacular party playlist, and taking around a billion photos. So all in all, he had a pretty good birthday.
• Despite remaining in Lincoln this summer, I have still managed to see my friends and spend time with them, which is fabulous. Especially as I currently live in a different county to most of them.

I think that is about it for now, I cannot think of anything else to inform everyone about, other than my dissertation. But seeing as though I have squashed a great deal of content into this post, I think I will leave you for now to recover from the torrent of information I have just drowned you all in, and I shall endeavour to keep my blog much more regularly updated. Expect two more posts very soon!

Au revoir,

- Hayley.

Twitter: @HayleyLouise_TH | Instagram: @holeinyourlogic

Liebster Award!

Well hello to you! I have been nominated by my dear friend Mia to take part in this. This took me so long to write...

The Rules.

1. Link back to the blogger who nominated you. (Above!)
2. Tell us 11 facts about yourself. 
3. Answer the questions that the blogger who nominated you asked. 
4. Nominate 11 other blogs that you love. 
5. Create 11 questions for the bloggers you nominate.


Tell us 11 facts about yourself:
1. I study English at the University of Lincoln.
2. I absolutely love musicals, especially soundtracks. Seriously. Some of my favourites are Grease, Hairspray, Mary Poppins, Les Misérables, Little Shop of Horrors and Bugsy Malone.
3. Friends is, without a doubt, my most favourite tv programme ever. I can recite so many episodes word for word, and I must have seen some episodes hundreds of times.
4. I went through a brief period when I was a bit younger of wanting to be a florist. To this day, I don't really know where the idea came from, but I still have a feeling that it would be really cool.
5. I own a tin whistle and am teaching myself to play it. I can do quite a few melodies and songs now. (Shoutout to Bridget Regan of Flogging Molly for inspiring me to do it!)
6. Tea is the best drink ever. Once, I think that I drank about ten cups in one day.
7. The 1980s produced A LOT of my favourite music, bands and films.
8. I absolutely LOVE Victorian fiction. Victorian fiction is the best kind of fiction.
9. I have trust issues, which is probably due to being let down by people who I thought that I knew better. So if you're reading this and you know that I trust you enough to open up to you, then it's because you've earned it.
10. I genuinely cannot go a day without listening to music.
11. Going to university is probably the best decision that I've ever made. I'm not only learning so much, but I'm a lot more independent, I've met so many wonderful people, and I've had such a brilliant first year. Sure, I miss people from back home, but I keep in contact with the people who matter, and they also ask me how I'm getting on. Plus, I get to see them when I come home, and sometimes they come and visit me at uni!

Mia's questions:
1. If you were stuck on a desert island, which 5 songs would you take with you?
>Photosynthesis, by Frank Turner
>If Ever I Stray, also Frank
>Four Simple Words, oopsy, Frank again
>What's Left of the Flag, by Flogging Molly
>You Make My Dreams, by Hall & Oates
2. If you were stuck on another desert island, which one book would you take? (can you tell I've been listening to desert island discs?)
>Having just very recently read The Fault in Our Stars, I'm going to have to say this. I cried on more than one occasion, I got really angry, I hated a certain character on an almost Dolores Umbridge level, and I got SO emotionally invested. I don't think that a book has ever made me feel so many emotions all at once. 
3. Of all the members of Friends, who are you most like?
>Arguably Chandler. I am far too sarcastic and I often come out with really bizarre jokes or phrases. One time, on the bus, a sweet little old lady sat next to me and said 'Oh, I love your hair!', to which I legitimately responded, à la Chandler, with 'Thanks, I grew it myself...'. Needless to say, she didn't say another word to me and I wanted to punch myself in the face. Other than that, I do have my occasional crazy Phoebe moments and the odd stupid Joey moment...
4. Favourite Harry Potter quote?
>I absolutely love the part in The Order of the Phoenix where Hermione says to Ron something along the lines of 'Just because you've got the emotional range of a teaspoon...'. Brilliant.
5. Any pet hates?
>I detest people who don't treat you how they wish to be treated.
>Feminists who aren't feminists. "Feminists" who say 'I'm a feminist because women are better than men'. NO. JUST NO.
>Men who say 'I can't be a feminist because I'm not female'. UGH.
>People who think that the degree I'm studying - or any degree for that matter - is "easy". You just assume that because you don't study it. No degree is easy. Everyone works hard to get into university. I most certainly did. And, quite frankly, I don't like being degraded because of my life choices.
>People who don't thank you for going out of your way to hold open a door for them.
>People who think that it's really uncool to read.
6. What do you like most about where you live?
>Currently I am living at home over the summer, but for University, I live in Lincoln. What I love most about living in Lincoln is potentially an endless list. But for starters; the people, the location, the university itself, the waterfront, the town centre, the cathedral, the scenery... I could go on and on and on. If you live in the UK and like to travel, you should definitely visit!
7. If you had to move abroad, where would you go?
>Paris. Without question.
8. No feet or no hands?
>Hmm. Well, probably no feet. I'd get some prosthetics or something. But then again, bionic hands like Bucky's arm in Captain America: The Winter Soldier would be cool. I can't decide. This is a really hard question... Hands. I'll go with hands. I want Winter Soldier hands.
9. If you had to lose one of your senses, which would it be?
>OOH. I don't know. Touch? I assume that I would still be able to pick things up? Hmm.
10. Marry, snog, kill- Spiderman, Iron Man and Captain America?
>Marry: Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr., how could I not?!)
>Snog: Spiderman (I'm assuming you mean Andrew Garfield's incarnation...?)
>Kill: Captain America (He's already survived death once. He'd be fine.)
11. You have 6 places left at your celebrity dinner party. Who do you invite?
>Frank Turner
>Tom Hiddleston
>The Queen
>Benedict Cumberbatch
>Miranda Hart
>William Shakespeare

Nominate 11 other blogs you love:
(I don't even follow 11 blogs, so have the blogs that I do follow and love!)
>Anthony
>Claire
>Frankie

Create 11 questions for the bloggers you nominate:
1. What song means the most to you, and why?
2. If you could be a part of any three bands, who would they be, and why?
3. Can you describe the best day of your life in 100 words?
4. If you could be any superhero, who would you be?
5. Who are your three biggest inspirations/role models?
6. If you were only allowed to eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?
7. Have you ever broken any bones?
8. Would you rather live in a world without music or without television?
9. What scares you most about the future?
10. Have you ever cried reading a book?
11. What do you most like doing in your free time?


I would again like to thank Mia for nominating me, and I would like to wish Anthony, Claire and Frankie good luck with my questions!

Thank you for reading!

And so, we meet again...

I would first like to apologise profusely to anyone who actually takes the time to read this blog, as I haven't posted anything in so very long. Oopsy.

There IS good reason behind it though, I promise. Today, Tuesday 20th May 2014, marks the last official day of my first year at university. And quite frankly, I am not entirely sure how this time has managed to fly by so quickly. *gasps*

So. What have I done in this past (approximately) eight months? A lot. In case you were not already aware, I study English at the University of Lincoln. It is such a beautiful place here, and the course is brilliant. I have loved everything so much. (Albeit the stress of reading books on time, completing assignments, etc.)

Today, as I have mentioned, is my last official day. This is because I have an exam today (EEP), at 4pm. It is for my Edwardian literature module, it lasts for two hours, and I am to write two separate essays. It might sound like a piece of cake to some of you, but if you have known me for a while, and happened to talk to me or spend time with me during the A-level exam period, then you know full well how badly I stress out where exams are concerned. Hence why I thought that I would write on my blog, to take my mind off it for a little while. I will likely, as almost always, be fine, however. I will go in there and do my best, which is all that I can ask of myself, and all that anyone else can ask of me also.

I just genuinely cannot believe how quickly this year has flown. Nine assignments, one performance, one exam and a whole load of reading later, and that is the end of first year. SCARY. DEFINITELY SCARY. Now I know how fast a year can fly, I am imagining that the next two will be equally as swift. Gulp.

Anyway. I think that I have rambled on for long enough now. I would just like to thank everyone who has offered me support and help over this last year (you know who you are), and I would also like to thank the wonderful people with whom I have become friends with at university. I hope that some of you are reading this!

I shall try and keep on top of blogging over the summer, and then again when I am back at university in September. Posts might not be as long as some previous ones, but I shall do my very best to try and keep you all updated as well as I can!

Au revoir for now,

Hayley.


P.S. If anyone on my course is reading this, good luck for later! We'll smash it.

University life and stuff yo.

Hello and welcome! Although I should probably say "welcome back" seeing as though I haven't posted anything in over two months... Oops.

Lincoln Cathedral looking all majestic and beautiful at night.

But I have a very good reason for having neglected you all for so long. I'M AT UNIVERSITY! In case you didn't already know. Anyway.

I'm studying English at the University of Lincoln and I'm loving every second of it. It's amazing, it really is. You have no idea. I'd waited so long to be able to do something which I'm passionate about and actually enjoy. I obviously did English (well, English Literature) at A-level, but there just wasn't the focus and depth that I'm able to be experiencing now. And I wasn't only doing English at A-level; I did Psychology and Drama and also did the Extended Project (which I haven't mentioned on here before, so for anyone interested who doesn't already know, my essay question was "Why is the Sherlock Holmes canon popular today?", which meant that I could read the books and watch films for research; SUCH FUN).

So. "How is university different from A-levels?", I hear you ask. Well, in the case of my degree, I only have eight teaching hours a week (three lectures, three seminars, and a workshop). BUT. That doesn't mean that I can just sit around doing nothing for the rest of the week. For those eight hours, I am expected to do at least twice that outside of university. Therefore, that's another sixteen hours, making twenty-four in total. But believe me, I have been doing far more work than that these past few weeks. I handed in my first assignment last Friday (October 25th), which was four days early, I might add. I'm currently working on my second assignment, and there are another three due before Christmas on top of that, a performance/presentation to be rehearsed for and performed/presented before Christmas, and then another assignment due in early January. Aside from my assignments, I have also been reading novels, plays, essays, analyses, annotating poetry, doing research... The list goes on!

Fortunately, though it is rather a lot of work that I have to get done, it's all so enjoyable. I chose this course at this university for a reason. The modules are amazing. They're all so interesting and exciting, and as well as building on the knowledge which I have already gained, I'm also acquiring new information and learning new techniques and strategies and it's just all so brilliant.

Also... I'VE MADE FRIENDS. I don't care how lame you think that that sounds. That was my main worry about coming to university, I'm not even kidding. But I did it. I talked to strangers and they are no longer strangers. Everyone here is so lovely, it's insane. Not only the students, but the lecturers too. They're all absolutely wonderful and funny and they genuinely care about their jobs and our education. I still can't decide who's my favourite; they're all so fabulous.

So, I do believe that that's all to tell you for just now. The only bad thing about university is the fact that I miss my family and my friends and my teachers from sixth form. I can't wait to see absolutely everyone when I'm home at Christmas. Eek.

Doo-bee-doo.

I do apologise for neglecting you all lately. My bad.

Okay. I don't even know what to say. Well. I know what to say. But I just don't quite know how to say it. So I'll do my best.


As you may or may not know, it was A-level results day last Thursday. The day which I had been dreading since I sat my last exam in June. I was so nervous. You have no idea how much I panicked and cried and stressed and flapped and oh. It was absolutely awful.

BUT. All of that worrying was for nothing.

I DID IT. I BLOODY FLIPPING DID IT.

I am officially an English student at the University of Lincoln. (Well. I will be when I formally register in September...)

I'm still so shocked. You have no idea. It's been over a week and sometimes I just sit here not quite being able to comprehend what's happened.

BUT ANYWAY. I move into my accommodation four weeks today, which is exciting. Then it's freshers week. And then I actually start my course. It's all so brilliant. I've made friends with some people on Facebook and have spoken to a lovely girl on Twitter. Some of whom are doing my course, some of whom aren't. Because that's what I'm most worried about. New people. I'm rubbish at social interaction and strangers and agh. But I'm a lot more confident about it now than I have been previously. I'm trying to embrace the fear, I guess.


So I think that that's about it for now. But before I finish, I shall just leave you with this.

My boyfriend, Anthony, started an amazing project last week. He's doing a University Diary, in video form, whereby he's documenting what happens each week, and uploading the outcome on a Sunday. It's for everyone and anyone to watch. He hopes to inform his friends, family and anyone else interested about his experiences, and hopes to help those who are contemplating whether or not to go to university. You can watch his videos here. As we've not actually started at university yet, the past two videos have been about the build-up and preparation. There'll be a new video every Sunday, so keep your eyes peeled! Any comments and views and subscribers would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys!





P.S. It's four months until Christmas. You're welcome.

Photo Challenge: Day 10.

Day 10: A photo that makes you laugh.

This is a photo of my cat, Sooty, from a few years ago. He does the cutest thing where he sticks out his tongue. It's so brilliant. Aww.

Photo Challenge: Day 9.

Day 9: A photo you have taken.

I took this in February 2013. In case you didn't know, it's of the London Eye. I absolutely love London. It's such an incredible city. I think that I've been four times. And I would very much like to go again. There are still so many things that I want to see and do.