New Blog

I've started a new blog (which, if you want to see, www.kingsleyfamilyportrait.blogspot.com) which I plan to be just about the progress of my novel, as this one is just about my life in general. I quite like having a blog just about my writing, as it means I can see what I've done when, explore new ideas and let anyone who's interest know how I'm getting on! Still, I reckon I'll still mention it here - it's taking up a lot of my time at the minute!

On that note, sorry (again!) for not posting recently - homework, revision and novel work had just been eating up all my time. First major exam is on Wednesday, so I'mn revising loads. It's my French Oral Exam, and I always find those nreally scary :S on the same day, I also have a mock history exam and a dentist appointment, so I'm guessing it's not going to be the most fun day ever!

I've found a website that I'm on quite a bit at the minute, called Absolute Write, which is great for anyone who wants to be an author - it's great for ideas and support. I've also said I'm going to join in a challenge to read 100 books this year (Alhough as it's nearly May, I'm aiming for fifty - I started late!) I know I read fast, and quite a lot, but I;ve never recorded it, so I haven't a clue how I'll get on - but I'll let you know! I'm also planning on taking part in NaNoWriMo in November. You may have heard of this - I heard about it about a year ago, but never got round to entering. It's short for National Novel Writing Month, and you basically have to write 50,000 words in November. You enter you're word count so everyone can see how you're doing. Obviously, it's not going to be perfect, but I think it'll be great for getting more ideas off the ground!

Sorry for the brevity of this post, but my driving instructor just rang to bring my lesson forward, so gotta go and wreak hell on the roads! Only joking :) I'm gonna post again soon though, and expad on the stuff I've written about in the last paragraph. Promise!

Long time no post!

Sorry for the lack of blog updates in the last couple of weeks: I've been really busy, and haven't been able to find the time! I'm on holiday from school for Easter now, which is really nice - although I'm working loads!

The first week of the holiday was really busy for me: I worked loads, and went up to Manchester for two days to see the University of Salford. It was a really interesting Open Day, and I loved the feel of the Uni and the city: the shops up there were amazing! Obviously, shopping is not what it's all about...but coming from a tiny place like I do, anywhere big with nice shops is amazing! We had a nice but busy couple of days up there: we managed to pack in two shoppoing trips and dinner out as well as the visit to the Uni! The course there sounds great, so it's defnitley somewhere I'll be considering applying to.

I've been working a lot, with cafe work as well as babysitting, which is good as I need money for my America trip, driving lessons, car insurance and to do a little bit of shopping for some summer clothes! I have a laugh at work, so I don't mind doing it. Today I was meant to be working all day, but it was so quiet I offered to go home early. Unfortunately I seemed to miss all the sun! I enjoyed it yesterday though, and sat out in the sun doing homework (although not enough :S) and working on my novel.

On the novel front, I'm now up to 75,000 words, which I'm very pleased with! I think I'll have finished it within the next couple of months, as I've realised that to fit all my ideas in, it's gonna have to be more than one book - so book one will hopefully done soon! Then I plan to go through it all and edit it, and then maybe attempt to send it to some agents/publishers. If I manage to finish it, I figure I may as well have a go at getting it published!

If you haven't already, take a look at Holly's Blog and Molly's Blog for how Donor Day went: I'm so impressed with what Holly's managed to achieve! It's a great cause.

Anyway, I'm off to work on my novel a little more (I should be doing homework, but I just can't face it!) and then I have a driving lesson at 5.30. I'll try and update again soon this time! Happy Easter to everyone :)

Donor Day

Ok, so my links in the post below don't work - if anyone could tell me how they do it, I'd be really grateful! Also the picture I wanted didn't come up, so let me just add this now!

Post Pals = www.postpals.co.uk
Sarah's Blog = http://sarahmilne.blogspot.com/
Molly's Blog = http://bookworm-molly.blogspot.com/
Holly's Blog = http://lifeondialysis--waitingforthecall.blogspot.com/

I can't get the flyer to work...I'll try and sort it tomorrow, I just don't understand blogger sometimes!

Donor Day - April 7th

I know it's been a while since I updated, and I plan to do a proper updating post at the end of the week, but I wanted to blog now about Donor Day. It;s on the 7th of April, and as I'll be away on that day, I wanted to do something to help - So I'm going to blog and put it on my facebook status.

I haven't personally had much contact with organ donation - up until last year it had never particularly crossed my mind: as it had never affected me, I didn't think about it - something I've blogged about before. However, I came across a site called Post Pals, and the stories of children waiting for, recieving and, unfortunately in some cases, not recieving transplants in time, made me really think about it. Once I'm dead, I would really like someone to be able to benefit from my organs if they can. Then I stared following Sarah's blog on her son William, and Molly's blog, and I really started thinking. I've signed up to the organ donor register now - and I think everyone should at least consider it. So, if you stumble across this blog and haven't considered it, please do. There's more info on Holly's blog: please consider signing the register, and if you're in London, support the campaign there! Also, please think about reposting this, to spread the word.

Be a hero: Put the kettle on.

Allergic to Tuesdays?!

I am off school again, and coincidentally it is once more on a Tuesday! I go all school year without a day off, then take two Tuesdays off in a row. I woke up Sunday morning feeling as though I had a cold coming on, and had a sore throat by the end of the day. Then, yesterday I started getting a blocked and runny nose, and my eyes started streaming. This morning I woke up feeling the same, and decided it made no sense to push myself to go into school, as I can't concentrate anyway - my head is pounding. So, another day in bed - so far I have watched Everybody Loves Raymond, Frasier, Will & Grace, Jeremy Kyle, and now I'm watching This Morning. There's not a lot of choice on weekdays, and I don't feel up to reading or doing homework at the minute.

Thank-you to Molly and Jess for the kind messages on my blog from last Tuesday. I'm still feeling quite stressed - I have a feeling that I'm feeling so rough with this cold because I'm stressed, although there is a flu bug going around here at the minute - with schoolwork, but I'm trying to stress myself out less. My step-grandad had his scan, and it revealed the cancer hasn't spread, which is relieving: the cancer is localised, and although it will require a major operation to remove it, hopefully the fact that it hasn't spread so far is a good sign.

I finsihed sorting out a visit to an open day of Salford University two days ago, and the tickets arrived today: it's quite an early open day, but as the course there is my top choice at the minute (English Language with Linguistics) I've decided it's worth the money. I'm going up with my mum, as my dad and sister will be in Germany visiting my family, and I'm looking forward to it!

Wow, I managed a relatively short post - probably because my eyes are stremaing alot, and it's taken a while to write this much! - and I will update more soon. Right now, I'm going to close my eyes and hope to get some more sleep!

A tough week

The last few days have been quite stressful, and as I have a free five minutes, I thought I'd blog about them now. As you may have noticed, I'm blogging in the middle of a week day - I just couldn't face school today. I've not really just taken a day of before, without being quite ill, but after very little sleep, and waking up with stomach cramps and what felt like the beginnings of a migraine, I decided to have a day at home. I'd been stressed last night, and hadn't had a chance to finish all my homework due in today, so I thought I could catch up on my sleep and my homework today. I've spent the morning so far in bed, reading a book I have to read for school (Lies of Silence) and then had a bath; I'm about to start some history homework now.


On Friday I took part an a three legged race for Comic Relief, and ended up falling over, ripping my expensive jeans and hurting my knee. It's still hurting quite a bit, and keeps starting bleeding again - all in all, quite bad end to what was already a very long & dragging week!

Yesterday was not a great day: as seems to be quite normal for me, I didn't have a good nights sleep Sunday, and then yesterday was the anniversary of my Grandad's death. We were extremely close, and so yesterday was quite an emotionally difficult day - I still can't believe he's gone, or that it was a year ago he left us, and miss him every day. It's hard too because my mum finds it very difficult now he's gone, and so we were all quite upset yesterday. On top of that, I found out that my step-grandad's cancer has returned, and he has to have another scan on Thursday to see if it's spread: if not, they will remove the lymph nodes in an operation soon; if it has, then they have to consider chemo. It really wasn't a good day, and I was in a poor mood all day. When I realised that my teachers for my afternoon lessons weren't there, I was quite annoyed: I'd only had two lessons in the morning, and had I known earlier I could have gone home.

Last night I started to get quite stressed about my step-grandad, and then about school-work, and when I get stressed I tend to start feeling ill. Sure enough, I started getting a migraine and chest pains. I tried to get all my homework done, but gave up at ten and decided to try and sleep. I then ended up waking up about ten times throughout the night - and woke up exhausted this morning. I got up, and then decided I'd probably do better to have a day off.

Well, I'd best get going and do some homework - I have to go to the opticians in an hour or so, as my glasses have decided to be a pain, and the lenses have twisted slightly, making them very uncomfortable!

Keane Pictures!

The whole band, at the end of the show.

The lead singer holding the microphone + stand over the crowd so we could sing the lyrics for him!

The whole band near the front of the stage


'Perfect Symmetry' - during this song, the screen was split into two



The album art from 'Perfect Symmetry'

I want to see them again!

You can see how close we were, here's the lead singer Tom.

I just realised I never got round to putting up photos from the Keane concert I went to, so I thought I'd do it now - I'll never get round to it otherwise, and I'd quite like them up here =] They're in a bit of a backwards order, but they're there!