I love April, it is by far my favourite month but that probably has something to do with the fact that my birthday is in it but regardless of that April is usually the time when Spring really does start to begin to show and it really has done that this April. It has been a stressful month in some ways but the majority of this month has been great from a lovely Easter weekend to a surprise day trip to Manchester for my birthday, my actual birthday, nights out and lovely days. I was pretty spoilt on my birthday which I’m hugely grateful for and I look forward to my 24th year which will hopefully be a great and successful one.
Listening To: A huge of mix of music yet again this month, from Courtney Barnett [who I saw at the end of last month] to Teleman and Unknown Mortal Orchestra. I’ve been revisiting the back catalogues of my favourites We Are Scientists, Florence and the Machine [as well as the new tracks which I’m loving], Foals and The Maccabees. The War on Drugs have yet again been a mainstay on this month’s playlist along with the new track from Passion Pit, which is utterly brilliant. Also, Arcade Fire because they are brilliant and I don’t think anyone needs any more reason than that to listen to them really.
This month, I have reviewed albums/EP by Layby with their second EP ‘Life’s Great Illusions’, the second EP from Lyonn entitled ‘We’ll Light The Sky’ and the demo EP from Buckinghamshire band Dar Papillon entitled ‘Bottle of Doubt’
New music wise, here are the acts that have been featured include West Midlander Waylor, the brilliantly gothy post-punk of South Wales band Artefact, indie rock quartet Salt, one of my favourite bands at the moment Norwich quartet Port Isla and Kidderminster quartet The Stirs.
Also, I had the absolute pleasure of working with Skype again introducing you all to American hip hop duo Kalin and Myles.
You can also check out this month’s playlist on my Spotify.
Watching: The General Election Debates, Fortitude, Raised By Wolves, Criminal Minds, Masterchef, The Vampire Diaries, The Originals, Googlebox.
Reading:
The utterly brilliant ‘One Day’ by David Nicholls was the first book I finished this month and it was one I could not put down at all, getting through pages and pages a day. I’ll not say much as I’ve written a review, which you can check out here, but I will say it is a great read and worth picking up if you haven’t already.
Currently Reading: The King’s Curse by Philippa Gregory
Food:
Delicious Cauliflower & Cheddar Cake with Moroccan Cous Cous and Lentils from Homemade by Thelma’s
My Easter Egg from my boyfriend from M&S
Barbecuban Missile Crisis Vegan Burger from V Revolution, Manchester
This Month I have reviewed V Revolution in Manchester.
Loving:
Small Bucket Bag from Primark: I bought this bag on a mini Primark spree at the end of last month. I always seem to hit Primark around twice a year to pick up the essentials that need restocking or refreshing and I sometimes pop a few unnecessary but also lovely items into my basket too. This was one of those purchases which was not needed but I’m definitely glad I made it because it has come in so useful already. It is perfect for daytime when I’m just popping out of the house and don’t need everything and it is also great for a night out, fitting in everything including an umbrella which is my main criteria for night out handbags. At £8 it was a total steal and much loved purchase.
Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara: For a girl that has hoards of makeup stored that needs using up I somehow found myself completely out of mascara at the end of last month so preceded to head to Boots for this specific one after reading a great review of it on Zoe’s blog. I always trust her reviews so thought this would definitely be a good one to try and good one it is. It’s absolutely perfect for me, a softer curved brush with a great formula that lasts all day without crumbling off. My new favourite mascara.
Doing:
Sunset just outside Sheffield at Surprise View
As the first week of April included Easter and my birthday it means I’ve pretty much been truly spoilt for a whole week which is just brilliant for me. These pictures were taken on Easter Monday on the drive back from a surprise day out to Manchester. The Easter Weekend was packed for us with plenty going on such as visiting each other’s family, my birthday surprise of that trip to Manchester that my boyfriend had organised and on my actual birthday a relaxed day where my boyfriend made me a cake [lemon and poppy seed fyi]. A really great start to the month and further proof of why I love April so much.
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Birthday Cocktails from The Crafty Pig in Manchester
After a busy week, including my birthday, the weekend saw some birthday celebrations with drinks and a night in Corp with a couple of my friends. As friends that I have known since school, it is always great to spend time with them even though we may not all have been able to make it that night, it is great that we all still keep in touch and hang out with each other when we can. And I definitely had a good time especially dancing to some great tracks in Corp.
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The rest of the month was filled with getting back on top of blog work, spring cleaning and doing everything else I had been neglecting over the last few busy and stressful weeks. It’s been a funny month but as usual April has been pretty damn great.
Some Great Finds From The Internet This Month
– This extremely useful article from Go Think Big with Caitlin Moran full of tips about how to succeed as a journalist.
– Keeping on the Caitlin Moran theme, here are some of the funniest moments from Raised by Wolves as told by Gifs [via Radiotimes.com]
Mixtape Couture 