OBLIGATORY PLANE POST

As everyone else does around this time of year, I'm doing a post on what's in my plane carry-on bag for my 9 hour (cry) flight next week. I love these posts, I love seeing what other people have in their handbags and carry-on bags, so for me this is a lot of fun.

Firstly, a little bit of 'admin', the basics before you even think about packing your carry-on: The Bag. My carry-on bag is my black classic Fjallraven Kanken bag, which I got for Christmas and have featured in an outfit of the day post on the blog before. Whilst we're on the topic, now seems a good enough time to talk about what I'll actually be wearing on the plane. Planes are cold so I'm going to be wearing my Topshop Jamie jeans (my favourite jeans, and also the only pair of trousers I'm bringing on holiday with me, it's going to be hot), and a thick jumper. I'm also wearing my bulkiest shoes, so that I don't have to pack them in my suitcase and take up too much room.

There are three main categories to the carry-on bag: 'listening material', 'reading material' and 'everything else'. I'm bringing all this stuff but, frankly, we all know I'm just going to spend the entire journey watching films.

Listening Material
There are two things I want to mention in particular for my listening material, so we'll start with the latest edition to my iPod. Hamilton. I haven't spoken about Hamilton on my blog yet but, like everyone else in the world, I am OBSESSED. It's one of the best, most clever things I've ever listened to and it's the only thing I'm listening to at the moment. My whole family is absolutely loving it and I know it's going to be basically the only thing we listen to over the next few months (we're already so excited for October 2017 when it's coming to the UK).

The other thing I wanted to mention is Audible, which is another one of mine and my mother's new obsessions. In the spirit of summer, the audiobook I've downloaded for the holiday is 'Since You've Been Gone' by Morgan Matson, which I've already started and am really enjoying. I've heard so many fabulous things about it and I know it's going to be the perfect summer read listen. I'm really enjoying Audible and I'd highly recommend it. (I'm on a one credit a month contract, in case you were wondering).

Also included in listening material is your own headphones, as the free ones they give you on the plane are really uncomfy.

Reading Material
As with the listening material, there are two main things in my reading material. We'll start with magazines, which I'm planning to stock up on at the airport. I haven't decided on which ones to get yet, but I know a copy of Heat magazine will definitely be featuring in there somewhere.

The other part of my reading material is, obviously, the book I'm currently reading. I'm bringing two books on holiday with me, as I don't tend to read that much when I'm away, and I'm so excited for both of them. The book I'm currently reading is 'A Court of Mist and Fury' by Sarah J. Maas (SO excited to have this one), and I'm also bringing 'The Unexpected Everything' by Morgan Matson, which I know is going to be the perfect summer read. Both of these are quite long and I know I'm going to just love both of them.

Everything Else
The everything else section of this post is a couple of random things in my bag that I think would be good to have on the plane with you; all of the 'wash bag' variety. Firstly, wipes, both hand and face. Wet wipes are just really useful to have and I more or less never leave the house without a packet in my bag (ditto tissues). Face wipes are also really useful to have on a plane, as it's more difficult to wash your face properly, but face wipes can help to keep it clean and reduce the chance of the plane doing anything bad to your skin. Along the same lines we have a toothbrush and a mini toothpaste, because oral hygiene is important; and lip balm and moisturiser, because planes are really drying.

Rosie

'I AM HEATHCLIFF' - 11/08/15

Back in October, my father and I visited Haworth in West Yorkshire, the home of the Bronte family. Since October, I have been desperate to hike across the moors to Top Withens, which is thought to be the house that Wuthering Heights is based off in Emily Bronte's novel, 'Wuthering Heights'. This August, I finally got the chance to visit, and it was fantastic. 

MY SUMMER HOLIDAY TBR

For those who don't know, TBR stands for 'To Be Read'. This is just going to be a quick post of the books I definitely, definitely want to read over the course of the summer holidays, a.k.a July and August.

1. 'The Dream Thieves'- Maggie Stiefvater
This is probably my most anticipated book of the summer, I read the first book in the Raven Boys series in May, and I absolutely loved it. I've been excited for months to read the second book, but I've been desperately trying to hold off until my holidays. I'm beyond excited to read this.

2. 'Blue Lily, Lily Blue'- Maggie Stiefvater
This is the third book in the Raven Boys series, and obviously I can't not read it. The cover for this book is beyond beautiful, I don't know how I'm possibly going to be able to wait till 2016 for the fourth and last book in the series to come out.

3. 'The Invasion of the Tearling'- Erika Johansen
I read the first book in this trilogy, 'The Queen of the Tearling', in the early months of this year, and the second one is coming out tomorrow, 16th July. I loved the first book and I'm really excited to see where the series is going.

4. 'Hier of Fire'- Sarah J. Maas
This is the third book in the Throne of Glass series, and basically I'm tyring to read the whole series so far before the fourth book comes out in September/October. This is going to be a six book fantasy series, plus one book of five novellas, it's very popular and I'd highly recommend.

5. 'The Kiss of Deception'- Mary E. Pearson
I've heard incredible things about this book, I've heard it has one of the biggest and most amazing plot twists and I've been dying to read this book for months. It finally comes out in paperback in August and I'm so excited.

6. 'The Summer I Turned Pretty' (trilogy)- Jenny Han
I've been really in the mood for a summer contemporary recently, I'm thinking something along the lines of 'We Were Liars', being set on the beach with romance and beach houses, etc., you know what I mean. I've heard good things about this trilogy, it sounds exactly like what I've been looking for, and I'm planning to read the entire trilogy over the summer months.

7. 'Second Chance Summer'- Morgan Matson
Another summer contemporary with the same kind of beach themes as 'The Summer I Turned Pretty' trilogy. The summer is the most perfect time for contemporary reads, and I've been really in the mood for them recently. I've never read a Morgan Matson books before but I've heard really good things about her.

8. 'Amy and Roger's Epic Detour'- Morgan Matson 
I'm really in the mood for a road trip book after reading 'Paper Towns', and this sounded the perfect mix of road trip and summer contemporary. This book is exactly what I'm in the mood for.

THE BIG FEASTIVAL

During the summer we went to Jamie Oliver's Big Feastival (I last went in 2011) which is a combination of a music festival and a food festival, though much more pleasant than your normal music festival. The Big Feastival is held in the Cotswolds on Blur's Alex James' cheese-making farm (you heard me right) and is an experience I would definitely recommend, the place is full of food stalls selling the mpst amazing and delicious food and you want to eat all of it.

Hello 2011 Rosie...

Just to add that I'm trying out different ways of blog post layout currently, I appologise for the fact that the photos overlap into the sidebar, I am not very good with technology.

Caroline Craig and Sophie Missing signing their book 'The Little Book of Lunch'- you need this book

Stupid hats calls for stupid pouts

Alex James' cheese- his 'No. 5' cheese was to die for

Sylvania Families were my entire childhood

Not quite Fleetwood Mac...

And not quite Abba...

SPAIN #5- WELCOME TO BARCELONA

Moving on from the Pyrenees, these are photos of our day sight-seeing in Barcelona plus the incredible view from the roof of our building (shown also in the first Spain photos post). The two beautiful buildings here are designed by Gaudi, the famous architect who designed Barcelona's Sagrada Familia.

SPAIN #3- TRAINS AND BOATS AND PLANES

These photos come from the most incredible train journey I have ever been on through the heart of the Spanish Pyrenees, the view from the window was breathtaking, as was the place where we eneded up (photos also included in another post). What pains me the most is that I have over 100 photos of this train journey but it was impossible for me to include all of them here.

I also thought this would be a good time to show my new blog icon picture in full as it's a picture my father took of me on the train journey that he absolutely loves but I don't like all that much, I just needed a new picture. Expect another change soon.

Dress- Primark
Lipstick- Rimmel Colour Rush Balm in 'Not an Illusion'

SPAIN #2- WALK THIS WAY

These are pictures from a walk I did with my mother whilst everyone else in the group was kayaking (I don't do boats). I've also including some photos from the same day of my quick family trip to the near-by town (of the kayaking place) called Berger.

'Carry/bring a new world in our hearts'

'If you destroy the lands... *missing translation* ...raised barricades'

SPAIN #1- A ROOM WITH A VIEW

I thought I'd share some of my Spain holiday photos, to open us up with have the views from my windows in the Spanish Pyrenees and in Barcelona.

The Spanish Pyrenees:
I apologise for these as I forgot to take pictures out of the window until the last day when it was foggy. The view was incredible and luckily the fog doesn't ruin it all too much.

Barcelona:

The most incredible view in the world here, we were directly across the road from the Sagrada Familia and the view was breathtaking. The zoom was not used once to get these pictures.